#and this reply is really long because my thoughts come with additional thoughts that maybe do not make sense at all but well 🤭

[aestherin]

I CAN SEE YOU

track 02: make me

Given how much you loved making art, you could've held so much more exhibitions by now, if it weren't for the immense dread that comes with it. Not because of the exhaustion, but because of your own blood.

"Great! This is great!" Your father laughed, continuously patting your shoulders at the sheer delight of seeing the surges of people arriving at the gallery.

Funny, how they were very light pats yet never fail to weigh you down.

"Now you have to make better artworks so that the next exhibition could be better too!" He grinned. Still keeping you beside him, your father's eyes roamed around until he found a business friend of his. He gracefully nodded at the said friend's direction. In your family's dictionary, this gesture was meant to be an invite.

"Nice exhibition, [Name]." The stranger remarked as soon as he got near you and your father. "When's the next one?"

They both laughed.

And you found it sickening.

Was it really that funny to make light of your hard work and effort? Why are they talking about it as if it was easy to do? As if your paintings were mere commodities — machine-produced, basic, and standard.

Or maybe you were the problem. Maybe you were over-analyzing stuff and putting meaning into things that shouldn't and didn't have them in the first place. Maybe these two men were saying these things because they believe in you and your ability. Maybe it was a good thing.

Maybe you were in the wrong, thinking that they did not really appreciate what you just put out.

But was it really wrong to feel frustrated when people keep expecting more, when really, all you wanted at that moment was to take a break?

"Uhm —"

"You should start on the next one as soon as possible."

The additional statement of the stranger in front of you did nothing to quell your restlessness. One of your brows raised subtly without you noticing it.

"Actually, I plan to take a little break," you abruptly replied. You internally winced at how your voice sounded. The usual mask coating your words — the mask of softness and calmness — was absent. Instead, what seeped through was impudence.

And in the presence of your father, that was tantamount to committing a grave sin.

You fucked up.

The man in front of you just nodded and smiled awkwardly, bidding hurried yet still formal goodbyes to your father.

"[Name]!" Your father wasn't roaring, but there was an underlying threat to his deceivingly calm voice. There always was. "That is not how we talk to our business partners."

'Your business partner, father,' you thought.

"I apologize for my behavior earlier. I was merely exhausted."

He clicked his tongue. "A lifetime of learning etiquette and still making minor mistakes as a full-grown adult? How disappointing."

You remained silent.

"You better hope that disrespect you showed to him earlier wouldn't affect our long-term business relationship with them, unless you want to end up like your disappointment of a cousin."

He's talking about Eula.

Your elder cousin, who to you, was everything but a disappointment. How is it that they disapprove of her, when the only thing she has ever done was follow her dreams and speak for herself? How is it that they view her as a failure, when she was what you looked up to?

Perhaps, you might've even envied her. Her guts.

If you had them, you would have cut off the whole family a long time ago as well.

You took a deep breath, donning another calculated smile as you saw more people approaching.

I CAN SEE YOU — scara x reader smau

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[violetregrets1837]

Just tossing this into the open. Basically the Chain gain another Link, and this guy is vaguely modern era

(BTW this was written as like a platonic reader insert, but there's no use of Y/N or (Name) here :>)

Sky must admit that this journey really has been an interesting one so far. Secrets are slowly revealed, and brothers-in-arms find comfort from nightmares in the dead of the night. Fighting with such a big group was a learning curve too, but they were all if not willing to adapt to new challenges.

Which brings his thoughts to their newest member.

"How has that pencil not snapped yet?" Wind asked to no one in particular, squinting in the direction of their newest addition.

They were all sitting around camp, in a clearing that Wild had found while scouting ahead. The new hero was sitting a bit farther away, having politely asked not to be disturbed for an hour or so earlier. Only Four was allowed to stick with them because he was silently reading away. And they were furiously writing down on a large writing pad, only taking a few precious seconds to think or to flex the wrist on their dominant hand. The sound of graphite on paper was audible, even with the distance put between them...

"20 rupees that it snaps?" Legend asked Warriors with a smirk. Even if the veteran hadn't fully warmed up to the newest hero, he was more than willing to have a little bit of fun.

"Double that, and it's a deal." Warriors replied, smirking back with a hand on his hip, ready to rob one of his brothers blind.

"Actually, I think they're a proper student like I was, so I doubt they'll let it break on them," Sky added, thinking back to the events that led to the Chain welcoming their newest member.

Those memories were still pretty fresh in his mind, and no doubt everyone else's. The new hero had come rushing into the battle, throwing a heavy backpack at a black blooded monster and successfully knocking it onto it's back before quickly taking out their own sword and properly finishing the job with a powerful stab right into the monster's chest. A bit of a bizarre technique, but not the most. They would probably fit right in, actually.

"50 rupees that it stays in tact." Sky simply smiled back at his brothers, happy to remind them that he was as much of a gremlin as any other Link in the Chain.

"50 rupees from you and Warriors that it breaks, then it's a deal." Legend narrowed his eyes at Sky and crossed his arms over his chest. If he were to win this bet, he better be getting as much as possible.

"Only if you give the same amount to both me and Sky here, veteran. It's only fair." Warriors smirked as he bargained with the prickly hero, happy to get even more out of him.

"So, deal?"

"Deal! I'll be swimming in rupees that you two will be losing soon!"

"Oh, dream on, Legend! Those 50 rupees are ours!"

So those three waited, watching with bated breath. (And maybe with slight concern considering how long they continued to write for.)

Everytime that they had paused in their writing, Sky and Warriors had narrowed their eyes and smiled at Legend, who was only continously letting a nervous frown crawl onto his face as luck was not on his side.

Eventually, the newest member huffed out a sigh and put down their pencil. They flexed their wrist and straightened their back as Wild and Twillight decided to approach.

"Oh, hey guys." They waved as the two walked closer.

"Hey, what were you writing just now?" Wild asked, leaning down with his hands on his knees as he squinted at the paper. He raised an eyebrow as he recognised a few familiar symbols here and there.

Trying to understand every era's written language and writing system was a hard task, and really, only Four, Legend, and himself seemed to take immediate interest in it.

"Just studying for school, if I get back to my own era in time for tests. Sure, it's completely self-inflicted torture which sucks, but I need the practice." They explained, jokingly rolling their eyes at comparing studying to torture. Maybe, taking advanced literature was a mistake but they'll be damned if they quit now.

"Interesting, but maybe you should take a break now. You've been at it for quite some time. Stretch your body a bit." Twillight suggested, raising an eyebrow their way.

He's seen how dedicated to study people like that can be, how they run themselves into the ground before ever considering taking a rest. He's had to pull Shad away from his books more than a couple of times.

"Ehh, maybe. It's just, I got into such a good flow, I don't really want to lose it now." They shrug noncommittedly while reasoning back, their eyes glancing down at the work that they've finished so far as they think the offer over.

"You should at least have some water. Don't let yourself get dehydrated, otherwise you won't be able to concentrate later." Four suggested, putting a bookmark onto the last read page before closing it, his eyes reflecting unnatural hues of purple and red.

He knew all about how a certain someone in this system of theirs would always be eager to learn more, and how another would have to remind him to take care of himself while reading away.

"Mmm, true... I'll at least let myself have some water. I don't want to deal with any headaches later on." They finally concede, putting their things away and into their backpack.

And as they packed their things with the rest of the camp to their back, a certain someone grumbled as he passed on 100 rupees to his brothers. Damn it all, the gods have it out for him.

"Yeah, come on! Join the rest of us over by the fire." Twillight smiled, perking a thumb over his shoulder to the rest of the group.

He was honestly just relieved that they would be taking a break. He knew how stubborn any of them, including himself could be. Maybe it was a hero's spirit thing.

Once they all moved to join the rest by the campfire, Hyrule and Time waved to them, revealing colourful stains on their hands. Inside of a medium sized wooden bowl in between the two of them was a multitude of berries. The colours of the berries varied from a deep purple, almost black, to a light pinkish-red.

"Hi. Uh, I just finished foraging for berries. Do you want some?" Hyrule asked, still a little awkward around their newest member.

It was always a process, but after knowing the rest of the Chain, his brothers, he was willing to give this new one a chance.

"Don't worry, they're all safe." Time nodded, reassuring them after seeing the small hesitance in their face.

"Thank you." They smiled at the two of them, kneeling down in the grass and reaching for a berry. They popped one into their mouth, and hummed in satisfaction at the sweetness that flooded their mouth.

"That's really good! Thank you! Ah- again." They excitedly smiled towards Hyrule, happy to be here. They grabbed two more berries from the bowl and savoured the flavour in their mouth.

So maybe, they could settle into this new group. And try not to worry about trivial matters back home until they returned to their own era. They had a feeling that this would be an interesting journey.

[catboyolli]

oh my god the US tour really was something else!! I had completely forgotten the whole roommate drama thing 😳 and the fact that Olli and Allu were the last ones awake drinking mountain dew and talking about technology!! 🥺 I bet they shared secret kisses and maybe sometimes even fell asleep cuddling on the sofa?? 🥺

maybe some night Aleksi falls asleep before Olli and Olli barely awake confesses his love to sleeping Aleksi but in reality Aleksi just pretended to be asleep because he didn’t want to go to his own bunk to sleep alone??

i have very fond memories of the US tour because (for once) everything happened around my timezone! 🥳i am not from the US but it was exciting to get some content while i was awake 👉👈

and yes yes yes! we all know olli is a big sleepyhead and a cuddly boy so they definitely cuddled to sleep in the sofa sometimes (and yes, maybe they shared some kisses, yknow you gotta kiss your homies goodnight.......)

i love the idea of a late night love confession so much because omg it makes perfect sense!!! olli is too shy to confess his feelings, so he waits until late and spills everything out when he thinks aleksi is asleep, but now aleksi has to decide what to do with that information because maybe olli didn't mean it? or it was just a joke? 🥺💗💕💖💘

fun fact that does not leave my head: their US tour bus was smaller than their EU one and it didn't have a separate "lounge room" (sadly I only remember that the one from the electric callboy tour did, don't know about the one from their headline tour) so I am 99.9% sure that they did spent many many nights awake until late, having discussions about technology like the big nerds they are....... quite close to the bunk beds, actually

so picture this stupid scenario with me under the read more because i don't wanna be annoying with an extra long post 😊

olli and aleksi, alone and awake at 2 AM discussing tech stuff like whether or not a custom built desktop pc is better than a macbook, their bandmates and/or tour managers sleeping trying to sleep less than 2 meters away from them and wondering:

what the actual fuck are they talking about

why the fuck are they awake so late? (options: they are still high on adrenaline from the shows, aleksi is a night owl, oli spent the e n t i r e day napping in the couch, all of the above, none of the above)

will setting them up with each other make them finally shut the fuck up?

is the tech discussion some sort of courtship ritual that everyone else is not nerdy enough to understand, and will it stop once they are together?

so niko and joonas try adding a bit of jealousy and drama to make them finally ✨realize their feelings✨, but it kinda doesn't work because both aleksi and olli are way too deep in denial ("we're just friends", "we have mutual interests", "we stay up late just talking and working on songs and merch stuff", "our relationship is purely professional")

well, it works a little, because "what if he likes me too?" is now a recurrent though in those empty head of theirs, and the nights have been way more quiet since then. The weird silence that settles when they run out of things to talk about (because they are too busy overthinking about their interactions with each other and if what they said or did could be interpreted as someting else) is way worse than the tech talk, though

maybe the whole thing gets solved during that tour, they confess their feelings and spend the rest of the nights kissing and cuddling and whispering sweet nothings to each other (which on some nights makes the rest of the band want so desperately to get the tech talk back, but they are really happy for them); and when they both get sick it doesn't matter as long as they can take care of each other 💖

or maybe it doesn't get solved and they pine after each other for the rest of eternity, but somehow they still get sick at the same time and blame it on the mountain dew because of course it has to be that, what else could it be? (no one believes them)

the partial solution from mr CEO for their next tour? upgrade to a bus with a separate lounge room, but they better not start fucking in there or else he will straight up ban the room from being used (he just wants the quiet space for himself)

[doromoni]

Not Over the Papaya | OP81

⊹ ｡•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

Ships : Oscar Piastri x Popstar! Reader , Ex!Lando Norris x Popstar! Reader

Genre : Fluff Smau

A/N : This is so fun to writeeee.Also would you guys like a series masterlist… or does my current Main masterlist do the job? Btw just another reminder ~ no hate to the people referenced in this fic.

Face claim : Jennie Kim

Warnings : Mild cursing , Grammar Errors

Summary : Y/N and Oscar cope with their own breakups by making the Heartbreak Club.

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

< Previous | Part 2 | Next >

landonorris 1h

*messages are disabled

Notification : You received a message from Oscar

Notification : You received a message from Max

*Message sent

*Incoming call from Oscar

Pick up or Decline

Pick up

“Hi Y/N”

“Hi Osc”

“So how have you been?”

“Really Oscar? how have I been… could you be more awkward?”

“Yes really, now answer the question gremlin”

“Ok fine. I’ve been feeling shitty lately, because your teammate decide to cheat on me. How about you Oscar how have you been?”

“I’ve been feeling like shit too. Because my high school girlfriend decided to cheat on me then proceed to dump me over text”

“Wait… what?? She broke up with YOU? and she did it over text too? I did not know that”

“Yup, honestly couldn’t get more sad than that I guess”

“Well if it helps, Lando did the same to me… so yeah.”

“Wow. What amazing exes we have huh?”

“I know right? were just so lucky on that department. So what are you doing to cope?”

“You know, I have racing and training to keep my mind off it. Logan’s trying to be there for me as much as he can. How bout you?”

“Hmmm~ thats great to hear. Me? I uh guess writing songs really helps”

“You know, talking to you really helps too.”

“Really?? Well i like talking to you too Osc”

“Yeah, you’ve been a surprising addition to my schedule. Never imagined being this friendly with my teammates’s girlfriend”

“EX-girlfriend. And yeah same … and I’m grateful that I got to talk to you. SEE I told you Heartbreak Club will help us!”

“Alright, Nerd. I admit it”

“Hmm. I just realized something.”

“What?”

“I’ve never heard you talk as much before. Oh my! did I just influence you to becoming a yapper??”

“Ok dork shut up”

“HHAHAHAHAAH”

“Where are you now? Your in England right?”

“Yes. I’m at my condo… why?”

“how about a coffee run?”

“Since when did you drink coffee?? and now??”

“Since you forced me drink the latte at the MTC and yes now. Are you in or not?”

“YES! i’m down”

“Alright. Dress up and I’ll pick you up.”

“Mkay! drive safe. Byeee”

“I will. Bye Y/N”

*Call ended

Y/N. 45m

*comments are disabled

oscarpiastri 30m

story replies

Y/N. Wow since when did you start taking aesthetic photos 🤭

oscarpiastri I get tons of practice because a certain someone makes me take soo much pictures.

landonorris I thought you broke up with your girlfriend

oscarpiastri I did.

landonorris oh? who’s she thenn

oscarpiastri someone special to me.

lilyz who’s the girl?

oscarpiastri it doesn’t concern you.

Y/N.

liked by y/bf , oscarpiastri, sabrinacarpenter, charles_leclerc, and others

Y/N. You embarrassed me motherf—

sabrinacarpenter YES. Slay Mama~ I see you 🤭.

Y/N. did I do justice with your lyrics Luv?

sabrinacarpenter I knew smth hot was coming when you asked to use my lyrics!

Y/N. 🤭🤭🤭

user1 That body bang! y/n really said not yours anymore.

user2 she’s hot, talented and successful. Lando fumbled BAD.

user3 Not Y/N casually letting us know she’s booked Calvin Klein. 🥵

user4 Ok but who’s that on the 2nd and 5th slide thooo.

user5 if its a friend or smth more who caresss if Lando could jump into a relationship that fast, Y/n could as well.

user6 Oscar in the likes, I see you.

user7 I lowkey ship 🫣

user8 maybe its oscar in the photos too!

user6 Y/N and Oscar have been interacting lots lately

user9 Oscar’s with lily tho.

user10 I haven’t seen them together for so long. Smth seems off tbh.

user11 Oscar and lily are both private people so of couse we don’t get to see them.

Y/N. why are y’all gossiping in my comments 🧐

user6 WTF hello @Y/N??

oscarpiastri

liked by Y/N. , mclaren, logansargeant, charles_leclerc and others

oscarpiastri Change of plans. I’m into coffee now ☕️

logansargeant in my years of knowing you , you never drank coffee

oscarpiastri well taste changes mate, what can I say? liked by Y/N.

charles_leclerc now you’re really my son!

user1 WHO TAUGHT OSCAR HOW TO POST CUNTY PICS?

user2 show yourself! we need to thank you 😭

user3 I choked on air when I saw it was posted on Oscar’s personal ig! i thought it was a fan page or smth.

user4 3rd slide had me on a chokehold!!

user5 Oscar’s hotness aside. Why does the caption sound so cryptic.

user6 Right?? is it really about coffee tho… ur very suspect Oscar Jack Piastri.

user7 specially when rumors of Oscar and Lily breaking up???

user8 What do you mean? where did you hear that??

user7 check twitter girl!

user9 Ok now Y/N’s in the likes and her liking Oscar’s reply!! What is happening yall 😭

user10 everything has been so messy. but ngl when Y/N used Oscar’s Tweet format? Iconic.

user11 Y/Nscar interactions are migrating to instagram.

*Incoming call from Oscar

Pick up or Decline

Pick up

“Hello, Osc. What’s up?”

“I need your help.”

“With what exactly?”

“Making an announcement”

Anyone interested to be added to the taglist? Drop a comment or DM me!

Series Taglist : @champagneproblems17 @itsjustfranzi @cheriwritesig @forza-charles @awritingtree @sltwins @gr1mes-cc @hwalllllllelujah @btsfluffsworld @tillyt04 @landotd open for tag request

Main taglist : @myescapefromthislife @peterholland04 @charlottef1 @fangirl125reader @mel164 @gnarlycore @chloelovesln4 @vickykazuya @merchelsea @ln4author @qzmef @nxk1309 @styl1shl1v : open for tag request

[crossbackpoke-check]

the world at its beginning, dustin pearson // mosaic, linda pastan [Link to IHL’s Solar Bears connects NHL Draft prospect to Orlando] // Goin' high: Hughes chooses No. 86 with Devils // twice your size, declan mckenna // jeff bassett // blue is beautiful amy but the story is so the '90s, farrah field // what it means to be alive at the time of the resurrection of the dead, michalle gould // Quinn Hughes impresses youngest brother Luke with All-Star play // mozart songbook, joan larkin // siblings, paul klee // closeness lines, olivia de recat // andrew hancock // brother's keeper, young the giant // jason e. miczek // michigan athletics // "he ain't heavy, he's my brother", the hollies // luke hughes can follow brothers as first-round pick at 2021 nhl draft // genesis (from music for the dead and resurrected), valzhyna mort // jack hughes once had his braces 'ripped off his face' in a moment of sibling rivalry //

After Abel, Dante Émile // sportingnews // Cain, José Saramago (trans. Margaret Jull Costa) // Dave Sandford // Kin, Clan and Community in Proto-Indo-European Society, Birgit Anette Olsen // ESPN // Wikipedia // ESPN // Jeff Vinnick // Genesis, Valzhyna Mort // Puckprose // I Cast It Away, My Body, William Bearhart // Puckprose // Cain slaying Abel, Abraham Bloemaert (1590) // NHL // Clive Baker // Puckprose // NHL // Murder Ballad in the Land of Nod, Traci Brimhall // Freep // The Changes of Cain: Violence and the Lost Brother in Cain and Abel Literature, Ricardo J. Quinones // penticton western news // The Book of a Monastic Life, Rainer Maria Rilke (trans. Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy) // "A Brother Named Gethsemane", Natalie Diaz // NHL // NHL // Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581, Ilya Repin (1883-1885) NHL // Brothers, Dan Pagis (trans. Shirley Kaufman) // Fox News // NHL // NHL // Wikipedia // Fox News // NHL // Cain, José Saramago (trans. Margaret Jull Costa) // Allaboutthejersey // Allaboutthejersey // Jewish Literacy, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

[ak319]

Lovesick Rich Gf x Fem gp reader

(Headcanon #2)

II Scenarios based, contains implied sexual themes and fluff II

"Where you off to, baby?" Roxi's voice rang out as she watched you shut the fridge door, a choco bar already halfway to your mouth. She eyed you suspiciously as you took a bite, clearly enjoying the sweet treat.

"Nothing, just Teddy called me, for a hangout," you mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate.

"And?" Her tone had an edge to it now, and you could feel her eyes boring into you.

You stopped chewing and flopped down beside her on the sofa, trying to seem casual. "And what?" You forced a grin, glancing past her at the perfect view of the beach outside the window, hoping to change the subject. Maybe she wouldn’t notice.

Roxi’s brows furrowed, and her expression turned from suspicious to outright annoyed. "Are you serious? We have a dinner with Mommy and Daddy."

Oh.

Shit.

You.

Had.

Forgotten.

"Um--"

"And they invited us a week ago!" Her voice grew louder, her frustration bubbling over as she leaned closer, her finger jabbing your chest lightly with each word.

You gulped, adjusting your hoodie as if that might shield you from the heat of her glare. "I know, I know. I just--forgot, alright?"

Roxi's eyes narrowed, her tone growing sharper and almost mocking. "Really? You are bullshitting right now. We talked about it yesterday!"

Right, after that long session when you were too tired to even reply. Of course, that's when she chose to bring up the most important stuff. Always.

You winced at the accusation, knowing she had a point. “Look, I swear, it just slipped my mind! Teddy called last minute, and I thought-”

She cut you off, her lips curling into a dangerously sweet smile as she leaned even closer, practically nose-to-nose with you now. “You thought what, exactly? That I wouldn’t notice if you ditched our dinner for some bro time?”

You tried to keep your cool, offering a weak smile. "Roxi, come on. You know I’d rather be with you. Look, I'm sorry, but I’ll be back before that. Like at 6. It's literally 2 right now."

She let out a sigh, a sure sign she was agreeing, but the hint of a pout on her lips told you she was still upset.

"C'mon, darling. Don’t be like that." You leaned in closer, flashing a playful smile. "Now be a good girl and send me off with a kiss."

She huffed and got up, moving toward the balcony. This was going to be tough.

You followed her, wrapping your arms around her from behind. This time, she spoke, but her words weren’t directed at you, they were for the life growing inside her.

"Your mom has clearly shown where her priorities lie."

"Roxi--how can you even say that?! Look at me." You spun her around, but she refused to meet your eyes.

"Roxi. I’m dead serious. Look. At. Me."

She met your gaze, her expression blank. "You know that’s not true. I work hard for you, for our future, and for our baby-"

"Work isn't the only way to show you care, y'know. There's attention, there's time, there's..." Her voice cracked as she started to sniffle, and your hold on her arms loosened.

"God, Roxi, I am---trying my best here...and I know sometimes I'm just not-"

She cut you off with a small nod. "No, I know. You’re doing so much, and of course, Daddy keeps you busy. I know it's tough and you know how he is but... I just sometimes miss the old you..."

She trailed off, her voice barely a whisper. She missed the time when you served only her before everything became so complicated. And deep down, you missed it too, your simple ass job. You felt like you were caught between two worlds, one where her father demanded the best from you, and one where you were her girlfriend. And now, the unexpected addition to your lives only made things more complicated.

It’s not like you regret any of it. You love her with all your heart, but sometimes you just need a break from all of this. Because she isn’t the only one who misses the way things used to be, you do too. Being rich and being with the rich is not as easy as it seems. There’s so much you have to be careful of, both professionally and personally. And then there’s your own family, who needs your time too. But spending time with her parents will always be a challenge to you, especially her father. God, he loved to give you a hard time.

"I love you, baby, I always will." You held her hand, pressing a kiss to the spot where the ring rested, letting your lips linger against her skin. She melted into you, immediately wrapping her arms around your neck, bringing her forehead to rest against yours.

"I love you too, my baby. Forever."

Without breaking the moment, you scooped her up in a bridal style and carried her over to the couch. The phone buzzed on the coffee table, Teddy’s name flashed on the screen. But right now, that didn't matter. You couldn't leave her like this, still in the haze of emotions from your conversation.

"Imma cuddle you to death for, I would say, 30 minutes, if that's alright, madame."

She let out a soft giggle as you laid her down on the spacious, cozy couch, settling beside her. "When has that ever been wrong?"

You grinned, nestling against her warmth. "By the way, Ava called, and she wants to meet up too, a couple’s date, y'know."

"Ava... as in Arlo's girlfriend?" Your eyes flickered with curiosity, and she nodded, knowing the memories those names stirred. Arlo and Ava are her old friends from high school. Arlo, now an F1 driver, and Ava, his lively partner, quickly took to you when you were introduced at Arlo's race.

"Yeah, yeah. Are you free next weekend?" she asked, her fingers tracing patterns on your chest. You considered it, then shrugged subtly.

"Maybe... I can't say for sure as of now, but-"

"No ifs or buts." She interrupted you, sliding herself closer, her lips just a breath away from yours. "Now you will be. Sunday’s cool." Her fingers brushed along the back of your neck, sending a shiver down your spine.

You felt a smirk tug at your lips as you leaned in, your voice low against her ear. "But what if I had other plans?"

Her gaze sharpened, and she arched a brow. "Cancel them. You can’t seriously think I’d let you spend your Sunday anywhere else when I’m right here." She punctuated her words with a teasing kiss on your jawline, her lips warm against your skin.

"Even if I had plans with Teddy?" You teased, watching the way her eyes narrowed slightly, her possessiveness slipping through.

She huffed, her hands sliding down your chest with just enough pressure to make your breath catch. "Oh, Teddy can wait. Tell him you’re busy... and I’m sure I can convince you to stay." Her lips grazed yours, teasingly slow, sending heat flooding through you.

You couldn't resist her--never could. Not when she was like this, a mix of playful and demanding, a glint of mischief in her eyes. And damn right, Roxi is well aware of this. With one swift movement, you reached over and silenced your phone, tossing it aside. "Teddy who?" you murmured against her lips, pulling her closer, your hands slipping under the hem of her shirt.

She laughed softly, her voice dropping to a whisper as her lips brushed yours again. "That’s what I thought, babe. Now, you’re all mine."

And as your mouth met hers, you both knew there was nowhere else you'd rather be.

・❥・

The evening starts with a romantic drive. You’ve convinced her that it’s just a regular date night, but as you drive her to your destination, she notices you’re taking a different route towards the beach. Roxi, ever curious, raises an eyebrow.

“Babe, where are we going?” she asks, looking out at the setting sun turning the sky shades of orange and pink.

You flash her a sly smile, keeping your gaze on the road. “You’ll see. Just trust me.”

You pull up to a secluded area by the beach, where the waves crash gently against the shore. Roxi steps out, and as she takes in the scene, she spots a path lined with lanterns and rose petals leading down to a private section of the beach. She glances back at you, her expression softening with a mix of curiosity and affection.

Guiding her by the hand, you lead her down the lit path. At the end, there’s a beautifully set-up picnic blanket, surrounded by flickering candles. It’s simple, yet filled with little details she loves, her favourite chocolate, the soft music of her favourite band playing from a hidden speaker, and a cosy setup with pillows to lounge on.

She sinks down onto the blanket, giggling as she sees her favourite flowers on display. “You really went all out, didn’t you?”

You sit beside her, your heart racing as you pour her a glass of a drink. “Only the best for you, Roxi.”

The two of you spend the next hour talking, laughing, and enjoying the sunset together, the conversation flowing effortlessly like always. But as twilight descends, your nerves kick in. You take a deep breath, glancing at her with a tender smile.

“I have one more surprise,” you say, your voice a little shaky. You stand up, and she tilts her head in confusion as you reach into your jacket pocket. Her eyes widen when she sees the small velvet box in your hand.

You drop to one knee, taking her hand in yours. For a moment, the world seems to slow, the sound of the ocean fading into the background.

“Roxi,” you begin, your voice steady but filled with emotion, “I’ve loved every single moment with you. From our lazy weekends to our spontaneous adventures, to those little fights about nothing that make us laugh five minutes later. You make every day better more beautiful, more vibrant, just like you are.”

Her eyes glisten, a soft smile playing at her lips, but she’s holding her breath, waiting for what’s next. What she had been dying to hear from you the moment she met you has finally come true!

“You’ve shown me what it means to love and be loved, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me. And now, you’re giving me the greatest gift, our little one, a part of you and me, our little baby. I know in my heart that they’re going to be so lucky, so blessed, to have you as their mother. They’ll grow up with your strength, your warmth, and that beautiful heart of yours. And I can’t wait to see the way your eyes light up when you hold them, the same way they do whenever you look at me. I want to build this future with you, with our little family. Roxi, will you marry me?”

She’s already tearing up, her hand covering her mouth, and for a second, you feel the world hanging in the balance. Then she laughs a sweet, joyful sound and nods, her eyes sparkling.

“Yes! Yes, of course, I will!” she says, practically launching herself into your arms, almost knocking you over. You catch her, both of you falling into the sand as you hold each other tightly, her lips meeting yours in a deep, breathless kiss.

When you pull back, still holding her close, you slip the ring onto her finger. It glimmers in the candlelight, but not nearly as much as her smile as she admires it. “You did good, babe,” she whispers against your lips, giving you a teasing smile.

"Anything for you, darling."

[nadvs]

why do i see cheerleader reader having daddy issues, so when she tells rafe she’s pregnant, she’s so emotional and scared about how he’s gonna react and if he’s gonna break up with her or something

it tracks 🥺 she always expects to be disappointed by men and it’s not just because every guy she’s dated before rafe has treated her badly…

based on this fic

when she moves in with rafe after she finishes her post-grad internship, she’s still on the pill. one day, she’s complaining about the side effects of it as she’s making herself lunch and her boyfriend says, “then stop taking it.”

she looks at him from across the kitchen.

“we’d have to use protection,” she says. “every time.”

“sure. but is it so bad if…?”

she’s shocked. they’ve been together for about two years now and they’ve never talked about kids past a mention of it’d be nice to be parents some day.

“if i get pregnant?” she says.

“yeah.”

“isn’t that fast?”

“not for me. is it fast for you?”

she shrugs. maybe it’s not so crazy. they have their future set. a child would be a nice addition. they haven’t talked about marriage, but she’s in no rush. they don’t have to be married to have a baby.

“if we both want it… i guess if it happens, it happens,” she mumbles. “but our lives would change really, really drastically.”

“i know,” rafe says comfortingly.

she continues to make herself food and he stares at her, imagining her with a baby bump and that bump turning into a little human who’s a mix of him and the person he loves most.

he knows she’d be a great mom. and he’s always wanted to be a dad. he’s always wanted to undo how his own father had raised him, making his only son have to struggle for his fleeting approval.

three months later, she misses her period. she doesn’t tell rafe. she picks up a pregnancy test. she doesn’t tell him that, either. when she sees the double lines on the test, she’s standing in the middle of their bathroom, her body trembling.

and she hates that she doesn’t feel excited. she’s scared. she thought she wanted this. she hoped for a positive. but this isn’t the feeling she thought she’d have.

she goes through the motions of ordering a custom newborn basketball jersey with cameron stitched on the back, having dreamed of telling rafe that they’re expecting that way.

a couple of days later, it comes in the mail. she has actually sort of liked keeping the secret while she waited because it meant she could pretend it wasn’t real yet.

she does what she thinks she should do. she puts the tiny shirt in a bag, sets up her phone to record, and calls him over to tell him something came for him. this is what a woman who’s excited to tell him would do, she tells herself.

at first, when rafe opens the bag, he doesn’t say anything. his jaw goes slack, he blinks a bunch of times, and then he pulls her in for a tight hug.

she’s already shaking, tears in her eyes, when she hears him sniffle. he pulls back. his hands are firm on her cheeks, gazing at her through glossy blue eyes.

“you’re happy?” she whispers.

“yeah,” he responds, saying it like it’s obvious. “we wanted this, right?”

rafe stills for a moment when he sees just how anguished she looks. she doesn’t seem happy at all.

“right?” he repeats.

“yeah,” she says, nodding and looking down. “i don’t know. it’s weird. maybe it’s the hormones already.”

“how long have you known? do you feel okay?”

“just a couple days,” she says. “i’m tired. a little nauseous. but he hasn’t made me throw up yet.”

“he?”

she meets her boyfriend’s eyes.

“i know it’s too soon to tell,” she says, “but i really hope it’s a boy. you’ll feel more connected to a boy.”

he can tell by the way she’s stuttering and crying that something’s wrong.

“baby,” he mumbles. “i’ll feel connected no matter what. it’s my kid.”

she shudders, nodding through her sobs.

“what’s up?” rafe says softly. “do you… are you regretting it?”

“no,” she replies, “but are you sure you want this?”

“yes. we talked about it,” he reminds her. “it’s not like this was an accident.”

“yeah,” she mumbles, looking down at her lap again.

rafe stares at her, slightly shaking his head in disbelief. she’s acting like this was unexpected. like she’s wishing they never started trying.

“what is it?” he says. “if you don’t want this, then just tell me.”

she curls up, slouching as she dips her head into her hands, the tears coming harder now.

“if it gets hard…” she whimpers, her voice muffled. “you can’t leave me to do it on my own. you can’t.”

he’s floored. they haven’t mentioned anything about the possibility of things not working out with them in ages. and back when they did, it was almost always rafe needing reassurance that she wasn’t planning on leaving him.

“i would never do that,” he says. “look at me.” his fingers wrap around her wrists, pulling her hands down from her face.

“where’s this coming from?” rafe mumbles. “did i do something?”

he thinks back to the past few days, trying to remember if he said something even in passing that would make her worry about him abandoning his girl and their baby.

the look in his eyes almost looks like betrayal. like he can’t believe she’s saying this.

she swallows hard, coming to terms with what’s been swimming in her head for days now. her father was absent. the only example she had of a dad was one who never really acted like he wanted a kid at all.

“i don’t know what it looks like,” she begins, “when a man actually wants to be a dad. maybe you’re excited now, but what if when it gets hard? when he’s crying or sick or keeping us awake?”

“we’ll deal with it,” he says. he pushes past his own ache to try to understand her.

his cups her hands in his, searching her face with concerned eyes. he remembers her opening up to him long ago about how she always wondered if her dad would have loved her more if she was a son instead of a daughter.

“when he or she is giving us hell, we’ll deal with it,” he says. “i love them already. there’s nothing that’ll change that.”

he puts a hand on her stomach, rubbing gently. she finally cracks a smile, softly laughing. his chest loses its tightness when he sees her look happy for the first time since he got home.

“i was reading that it’s the size of a pomegranate seed right now,” she says.

he smiles in awe, kissing her wet cheek.

“what’s next?” he asks. “what appointments do we make? what should you be eating?”

she laughs again. rafe has always been so intense, so focused on the next step.

“let me catch my breath first,” she teases. she looks over, just now remembering she filmed all this.

“my bad, baby,” he laughs. “breathe. this’ll be good, alright?”

“alright,” she says. and she believes it.

[bamboobooshark]

YOUR WADE WILSON’S HEADCANONS WERE SO GOOODDDDDD PLS DO MORE WADE STUFF OMG <33

WADE WILSON X READER

⋆༺𓆩⚔︎ DELICIOUS : 872 WRDS

<RATING: PG-13, DESCRIPTION OF A MAKEOUT, BITING>

A/N : More Wade due to popular request! Which I didn’t expect at all because I thought I wrote him out of character BUT THE CROWD SAYS OTHERWISE (and I’m hugging the crowd so hard, thank you all deeply for the compliments)!!!! No additional warnings than the rating!

You groan in anguish while sitting on your couch. Wade said he’d “be home in a jiffy” thirty minutes ago when you called him. Maybe you should call him again. Yeah, you’ll call him again.

The phone rings once before he picks up. He grunts while fumbling to get his phone positioned between his shoulder and cheek. “Hey, pumpkin! Did something happen? Is everything okay? What’s up,” he asks with the most excited tone, sounding absolutely thrilled just to hear your voice. You let out a huff while shaking your head. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just miss you so badly. Please come home, Wade,” you whine, pouting even if Wade can’t see it himself. He laughs at your whining as he slips his phone into his hand. “I’ll be there soon. I pinky promise, okay,” he says with a sincere tone. You exhale deeply and hum in agreement. “Okay, but you better not be lying again. If you are, you’re sleeping on the couch,” you threaten. Wade audibly gasps. “The couch? Oh, you wouldn’t dare,” he challenges with a playful tone. “I so would,” you reply. “Good thing I’m not lying then,” he says before he hangs up on you. You’re about to grab the nearest pillow and scream into it before you hear Wade open the door.

You get up from the couch and run up to him happily. “Oh my god! I missed you, you idiot,” you chuckle as your arms wrap tightly around his waist. He pretends to start choking and gasping for air. “Holy shit, baby! If I could die it’d be from your sweet self crushing my bones so hard they puncture a lung,” he jokes. You ignore his words and hug him a little bit harder just for saying that. Once you pull back and look into his eyes, he points towards something with his gaze. You look where his eyes are guiding you, and he’s holding a tube of chapstick. Your grip around him loosens and you frown with nothing but love for him. “Oh come on. You didn’t have to go out for that long just to get me some new chapstick. I told you I could’ve gotten some myself,” you insist while looking at Wade. He does nothing but give you a goofy smile in response. “But I did, sugar. I really, really did,” he assures you before kissing your nose.

“Now, how about we — sorry, you try it? I meant you. I bought this for you,” he corrects with a straight face. You shake your head because you know exactly what he intends to do. You sigh softly and take the chapstick out of his hand, watching him eye you intently while you put it on. “Holy Mary, mother of Jesus, you are just stunning,” he mutters softly. “Wade! Stop that,” you exclaim before playfully hitting his arm. He rubs his bicep as if you made him experience the worst pain ever, frowning like an abandoned puppy from your actions. He mumbles a soft sorry while letting you finish applying the chapstick.

“Oh! That’s really nice. Where’d you get this,” you ask with wide eyes. Wade simply shrugs and smiles before grabbing you with one hand on your back and one under your thigh. “C’mere you,” he grunts. He butts his forehead against yours like a cling cat, humming happily. You are completely silent aside from the heavy breaths caused by Wade’s sudden actions. “What the hell was that for,” you ask through a nervous laugh. “I don’t need to explain for that was for. Now, let me try some of your chapstick. I bought it, so it’s fair game,” he teased before leaning forward to press his lips onto yours.

He sighs against your soft skin, brows knitting together tightly. Your hands go from his shoulders to the back of his head and you ever so slightly dig into his flesh. He pulls back, eyes wide and expectant. “I think I need to get another taste,” he mumbles almost mindlessly while attempting to keep up his usual attitude. “And I’d be glad to give it to you,” you manage to huff out before tightening your legs around his waist a bit more. Wade tries his best to be as close as possible to you while holding you in his arms. He fingers dig into your thighs and the hand on your back juts to press you closer against him. He bites at your bottom lip, panting heavily. You’re quick to let him in, your tongues pressing as he tastes you. You whine into his mouth and the bastard smiles against you. As much as you want to slap him for smiling right now, you don’t blame him for feeling so giddy.

He moves cautiously over to the couch, sitting you down on his lap carefully. He unlatches himself from your lips and looks up at you with his big, brown eyes that look so pitifully pretty in the moment. You’ve never seen him so star struck during your makeout sessions. “What’s up,” you ask with a slightly concerned look on your face. His lips form the smallest smile before he whispers to you, “Nothing. You’re just so damn delicious, baby.”

[fluentmoviequoter]

Hidden Talents

Requested Here!

Pairing: Jim Street x fem!reader

Summary: At a charity event, your boyfriend Jim and his SWAT team learn about your hidden musical talent.

Warnings: just fluff! Duke loses his frisbee though :(

Word Count: 2.0k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Jim Street Masterlist | Request Info\Fandom List

“There she is!” Hondo yells when you walk into SWAT HQ. “I thought you forgot about your favorite cop.”

“No, I talked to Luca this morning,” you answer as he pulls you into a hug.

“I’m so glad I introduced you,” Street deadpans. “Any chance I could say hi to my girlfriend?”

“Get in line,” Luca replies as he walks to your side.

“I tried to warn you,” Deacon tells Street. “The people closest to you get absorbed into this family and you’re powerless to fight it.”

“That’s why you’re okay with Hondo flirting with Annie all the time?”

“I’m just waiting for her to come to her senses,” Hondo interjects.

“I thought you were assisting the Marshals today?” you interrupt, drawing their attention back to the fact that you’re stopping by the station in the middle of the day.

“It went better than we anticipated, so we got back early,” Street answers, finally pulling you against his side. “Don’t sound so disappointed that you get to see us.”

“I’m not,” you promise, smiling as you loop your arm around his waist. “Annie and I were talking about the charity event the department’s hosting, and I came by to talk to the community outreach officer about it.”

“Are you coming with us?” Deacon inquires.

“Yes,” Street answers for you. “Someone has to help Annie keep us focused.”

You laugh with Street’s team, your second family, and nod. “If that’s okay.”

“You’re not allowed not to come,” Hondo tells you. “We should plan to do something after, too, make it a family night.”

“Hear that, Luca? Family night means Duke gets to come,” Street points out.

“He’s not going to forgive you for losing his favorite frisbee just because you take him out on the town for a night. He’s got standards, unlike your past conquests,” Luca argues.

“I’m standing right here,” you murmur, though you know Luca is kidding.

“That’s why I said past!” he defends, picking up your hand to hold it between his. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to Streeter.”

“The frisbee isn’t lost,” Street grumbles beside you.

“Guys!” Deacon interrupts with a smile.

“I really do need to go get that information,” you say. “I’ll see you all later.”

“Some of us sooner than others?” Hondo inquires.

“Absolutely,” you agree playfully. “Maybe you can help me get Duke’s frisbee.”

“Name the time.”

“Look what you started, Luca,” Street says, gesturing wildly between you and Hondo.

You raise your free hand to Street’s jaw to turn his gaze back to you and ask, “Take me to the office I need to be in because I still don’t know my way around here?”

Street nods and adjusts his hand placement to slide his fingers between yours as he leads you into the hallway and waves over his shoulder. Annie asked you to get some information about the charity event, that was true, but you’re also here to sign up to be in it.

The pediatric hospital is a charity you’ve been supportive of for a long time, and your experience playing the violin in smaller venues and for theatre productions in the past has prepared you to offer your talents in addition to your donation. You haven’t told Street about your musical talent or your passion for it, and now you’re unsure how to bring it up, so you decide to let it be a surprise. After Street leaves you to talk to the director, he’s happy to add you to the list of local talent acts performing, and he thanks you for giving your time to the cause.

Now, you must practice and prepare for your boyfriend and his entire SWAT team to find out what you do in your free time.

You’re not surprised to interrupt a conversation when you enter Street and Luca’s house before the event. Every member of 20 David squad is present and dressed in suits, and you stop just inside the door for a moment to admire Street.

“No way, the hip-hop duo that lives down the street from Rocker is going to be the best,” Hondo exclaims.

“Nah, man, that’s too interpretive,” Luca argues. “The lady from the DA’s office that always kills it at karaoke night is going to steal the show.”

“Isn’t the point of the show to raise money for the hospital, not sheer entertainment value?” Deacon asks.

“Deac,” Hondo sighs. “If we don’t enjoy it, how are we supposed to cough up cash?”

“As an excuse to leave early,” you answer softly.

The men before you turn quickly, unaware that you entered the house while they debated about which performer would be the best.

“Whoa,” Street says, looking at your outfit. “You look beautiful.”

“Who do you think will be the best?” Hondo asks, smiling as Deacon shakes his head.

“If they don’t put the audience to sleep, I’d consider it a win,” you reply.

“That’s fair,” Tan murmurs. “Doing this at night at the end of the week may not have been the best idea. Couple of my night shift buddies got roped into coming and they have to go straight to the station for patrol after.”

Deacon raises his hands in question and asks you, “Where did we lose them with the charity aspect?”

You shrug as Hondo answers, “Ten working hours ago, Deac.”

“I’m honestly surprised you didn’t rope Deacon into singing,” you point out.

Hondo sighs dramatically and looks at Luca and Tan, who are equally disappointed.

“Why didn’t we think of that?” Hondo asks.

“We need to go,” Deacon says, looking at his watch. “And don’t even try, it wouldn’t have worked anyway.”

“No, you have to get Annie to ask him,” you agree as you take Street’s offered hand.

“You’re not invited to dinner next week,” Deacon tells you. “Why would you give him that idea?”

“Way ahead of you,” Hondo says, typing on his phone as he walks between you and Deacon to get to his car. “Texting her now.”

“Sorry,” you whisper.

“No, you’re not.”

Street opens the passenger door for you, and when he gets into the car beside you, he looks at you in love and admiration. “You’re beautiful,” he says again.

“Thank you. You look amazing. Thanks for letting me come with.”

Street shakes his head as he starts the engine and asks, “How else would I have survived?”

During the intermission, you look at the SWAT officers beside you, who look either bored or exhausted. Street has your arm pulled close to him as he traces your fingers, Deacon and Annie walked out when the curtain fell to call the sitter and check on the kids, and Luca and Hondo are tired enough that they aren’t discussing the rap battle comprised of compliments that they just witnessed.

You’re performing second after the intermission, so you’ll have to leave them soon. Part of you wants to tell them that you’re performing to know that they’ll be awake to support you, but then you second guess whether or not you want them to pay attention to your performance. Not because you’re not confident or nervous, but because you know their reaction will be big. And probably loud.

“Is there anything in that program to look forward to?” Hondo asks.

You shrug and answer, “There’s a reenactment of the final fight scene from Die Hard.”

“Really?” he asks, sitting up a little straighter.

“No. If you want that, you’ll have to do it next year.”

“I’m offering to work security next year.”

“There’s an interpretive dance next, then violin, singing, a comedy skit, and a local band is playing to conclude,” you read from the program.

“Sounds better than the first half,” Luca replies. “Violin?”

“She listens to violin music,” Street says, keeping his eyes on your hand as he moves his head toward you. “It’s actually pretty good. Depends on the player, I guess.”

“Speaking of how much I like violin music,” you begin, “if you’ll excuse me…”

Street nods and gently releases your hand. As you stand from your seat and walk toward the back of the theatre, Hondo calls after you to bring back popcorn, and you smile to yourself.

You take a deep breath before you walk onto the stage, smiling at the crowd before you as you raise your violin to its position. With the bow readied across the strings, your eyes find your empty seat and the men beside it. Street is leaning forward, smiling but clearly full of questions, while Hondo is adjusting to sit up straighter as his brows furrow, and Luca sends you a thumbs up.

As you begin playing I Saw Three Ships, you lose yourself in the music. You’ve never felt as though you have to perform and feel indifferent to the attention on you. You love the music enough that it’s all that matters. As well as how you feel when you put everything you are into the music you make. Throughout the song, you catch Street’s eye a few times, but never long enough to tell what he’s thinking or doing. Unknown to you, he’s falling more in love with you with every note you play. Hondo, Deacon, Annie, Luca, and Tan are similarly entranced and surprised by your talent and improved by how you make such passion and beautiful music look effortless.

You pull your bow across the strings for the last note, and as the music fades, applause erupts in the theatre. Your second family rises from their seats as they clap, whistle, and talk excitedly to one another. You smile and nod to thank the people from the hospital sitting closest to the stage, then walk behind the curtain again. With your violin safely returned to its case and ready for you to pick up at the end of the night, you return to the theatre lobby but don’t get a chance to return to your seat.

“You play the violin?” Street asks when you come into view. “Why didn’t you tell me? You’re amazing!”

“That’s an understatement,” Hondo argues. “You were the best one in there tonight!”

“That was wonderful,” Annie applauds as she hugs you. “Even better than last month.”

“Last month?” Street, Hondo, and Deacon ask together.

“I performed it for a play at a community theatre last month,” you answer. “It’s not my first time playing for an audience.”

“Then why haven’t you invited us to be in the audience?” Street demands.

“I didn’t know how to bring it up, I guess.”

“Listen, there’s a car show coming up next month,” Luca begins. “They love local bands-“

“No, no!” Street interrupts, pointing at Luca. “I get a private concert before any of you can consider getting her a stage.”

“Why?” you inquire with a smile.

Street spins to point at you as he accuses, “Because you kept this a secret from me. Not just some weird hobby or something you like, you kept a talent from me, and now I deserve to see just how good it is up close.”

“Remind me not to hide any talents from him,” Deacon mumbles.

“Luca, I appreciate the offer, and I’ll let you know if I’m interested,” you say. “But apparently I have another tour to finish first.”

“So…” Hondo begins. “If you’re done, does that mean we could all leave without question?”

“That’s your priority?” Deacon asks.

“It’s family night after this and…” Hondo pauses briefly to point at you before he finishes, “This one decided to keep secrets, so, there’s a lot to discuss.”

“Like what?”

“How long she’s been playing, her favorite song, why someone that talented is with Street-“

“I don’t think we need to discuss the last one,” Street interjects.

You laugh and wave to get their attention again. “Yes, we can leave, if you’re all ready to go. But somebody needs to go get Victor.”

“I’ll get him,” Annie offers.

As she walks away, you look to Deacon and whisper, “Would now be a bad time to bring up that Duke's frisbee fell out of the tree or that I can river dance?”

“What?!” the men around you exclaim.

“My girlfriend’s incredibly talented and didn’t tell me,” Street laments. “That’s great.”

“Isn’t the whole point of this stage to get to know each other?” you counter.

Street smiles and pulls you to his side. He whispers, “But I want to know it all now because I love you a little more with every new thing I learn.”

[urgonnaneedabiggership]

Could you make a fic where Miguel gets the female reader pregnant and they're happy but he's worried about her safety? Maybe have a villain find out? Cause some angst?

Risk Something (You're Losing Me)

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara (Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse) x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Language. Spoilers (Miguel's backstory is mentioned). Angst! Alert!, Unplanned pregnancy!Alert.

Word count: 4.3K

A/N: Since I had already established some background and emotional intimacy, I thought I could write this as a sort-of-sequel to my previous one-shot Host of a Ghost. I was so excited to write this, especially because I don't usually write angst but I like to push my boundaries and leave my confort zone. Hope that it pays off and, of course dear anon, that you like it <3

Part III

You’d never really believed in long-distance relationships. After being witness to so many unsuccessful ones, you’d cataloged the entire concept into a box labeled “certain failure” and tucked it away in the back of your head. And yet, with an inconsistency worthy of your friend Hobie, you’d gone and gotten yourself involved in no less than an interdimensional relationship.

How? Well, that was a good question.

All it took was five simple steps:

Step one: Live a regular life. Go to school, graduate, and try to go for a Ph.D. that gets you working near genetically modified insects for just the right amount of time for you to become careless enough to let one crawl onto your backpack, take it to your apartment, and let it sting you. Throw in some negligence, forfeit going to the hospital, and go on about your afternoon. Warning, some side effects like loss of consciousness or intense headaches can be expected.

Step two: Congratulations! You’ve now become a super-powered person with abilities that range from climbing walls and performing gravity-challenging parkour to creating a sticky web-like element that helped you swing from one building to another. Toy around with your new talents, and grow comfortable with them before realizing that you can actually use them to be the much-needed help your city needs.

Step three: Turns out you’re not the only one with this kind of ability out there. There’s a whole Spider-Society full of similarly enhanced people who try and do their best to keep their own dimensions safe, and you’ve not only caught their eye but have actually been invited to join them. Let your new guide Jess Drews show you around, and explain all the benefits that come from joining a team such as theirs. If you decline, you can go back home and that’ll be all.

If you’re interested, it’ll be necessary to convince the leader but they could use some extra help so it shouldn’t be particularly hard. It sounds like an amazing chance. Information you wouldn’t have access to otherwise, mind-blowing facilities where you can polish your newly acquired abilities, possible new friends that actually know what you’re going through…Say you’ll think about it. Right as you’re about to leave, the most fucking gorgeous man you’ve ever seen in your entire life walks past without paying either of you any mind, busy while speaking to another Spider-Person. You ask who that is, turns out he’s the aforementioned leader, “will I ever have to work with him?”, you ask. “Probably, eventually” Replies Jess. Ask when you can start.

Step four: Do your best to earn your place in this elite group. Successfully improve your fighting skills, read everything available on interdimensional traveling and the multiverse. Understand it almost instantly because that’s how smart you are, kudos to you. Realize that for some reason, despite never actually interacting with you, Spider-Society leader Miguel O’Hara tends to stare. A lot. Is it because you’re progressing as fast as Jessica says or because she’s a complete liar and you’re actually doing it all wrong? No idea. All you know is that even during mundane scenarios like laughing in the hall with all the newest additions to the team or in line at the cafeteria, you feel a certain tingle in the back of your head that makes you turn around. Of course, the moment your eyes meet, he turns around and leaves. An odd one, yes. But you’ve also heard things. Rumors, here and there about his life before creating the Society. Whispers about a lost family and some video archives being the only evidence that they even existed in the first place. And, of course, the fault he had in the destruction of their dimension. You sympathize with him, despite his apathetic attitude towards you. You’ve seen him interact with those he’s closer to, and you know there’s more to him than he lets on. You’d be elated if he ever let you take just one look at the smidge of his old self that sometimes peeked out from behind the iron curtain. Well, not really. One look wouldn’t be enough. If anything, it would only cement your feelings for the man.

Step five: Curiosity killed the cat. We all know that. You know that. And yet, you decided to go snooping around Miguel O’Hara’s computer and personal files until you accidentally switch his computer on for long enough to let the videos he’s always watching start playing. He…his daughter…an entire lost life gone before his eyes. Then, before you could do the right thing and turn the computer off, an eerily familiar voice called at him from behind the camera. So, of course, you had to keep watching. Long story short? All those oddly constant stares, that coldness towards you, unwillingness to look you in the eye, was because of two reasons: first, you were a nearly identical interdimensional variant of the wife he’d lost in the dimension he unwittingly erased from existence. Two, as he’d confessed after realizing you’d found out about the truth, Miguel had come to terms with the fact that he was in love with you, not as a replacement for somebody from his past but as a new presence in his life that he’d been struggling to watch from afar, unwilling to let all his repressed feelings spill out like water from a broken dam. Until that night, of course.

Now, eight months later, you’d come to realize there was actually a sixth step you’d never actually considered until now that you were in this…situationship.

Step six: Uncomfortably avoid every and all circumstances in which interdimensional disparities and canon consistency regarding your relationship could come up. Don’t say anything like “Well, it’s been nice but I’ve got to go back to my own dimension” because that would remind him that his dimension was not yours too. That you were after all still a stranger in a strange land. Which of course also meant never inviting him to stay in your dimension.

Deep inside, you knew that all those details would eventually cause problems, especially regarding the inner conflict Miguel was always dealing with knowing what he was doing…what you were both doing, went against his strongest principle. But by God he was happy. Happier than he’d thought he could ever feel again. More than he deserved. So he just ignored those intrusive thoughts and focused on whatever task was at hand. And you were too. Even after just eight months, life without him already seemed unimaginable. He was your first thought in the morning and your last before you went to sleep, and more than once his presence beside you had been not just a figment of your imagination, but a part of your reality as you felt his strong arms wrap around your waist and pull you closer whenever you strayed too far from him in bed as he groggily whispered, “¿Y a dónde crees que vas, preciosa?”, Or when he buried his nose in the crook of your neck, lining it up with soft kisses that sometimes ended up in both of you being late for your assigned tasks. With so much on the line, you were more than happy to avoid those spiky subjects. It seemed like such a small price to pay with all you were getting in return.  

You weren’t sure of where all this was going, but none of that mattered. Right now, you were together. Inside the Spider-Society you were a great team and each one was a valuable asset. Outside, every second spent in your arms was enough to make him forget Spider-Man. To you, he was Miguel and nothing more. And that was all you needed.

Life was good. You were happy with the way things were. Until, as it usually happens, a necessary disruption came quite literally crashing into your life in the shape of a fifteen-year-old that carelessly swung around a corner and crashed into you after you’d been chasing him like the rest of the Spider-People after receiving Miguel’s message.

“Miles?” You asked, recalling his name, which you’d actually been hearing for quite some time since the circumstances of his existence started being a problem for your boyfriend. The boy didn’t answer. He just looked at you, his eyes filled with confusion and fear until you hesitantly took a step aside to leave the escape route open for him. If anything he looked even more baffled, but when the noise of his pursuers reached your ears he rushed down the hall and you lost him after he took a sharp turn.

Before you could be spotted, you ran in the opposite direction and hid around a corner as you tried to call Miguel on your watch. Of course, it was in vain. Well, Plan B. Fortunately, this time you did get a reply.

“(Y/N)?”

“Peter! Yes, it’s me! Where are you?”

“Where do you think? I’m going after him like everybody else. I need to get to him before…sweetie, please just get back in there, Daddy’s on the phone right now…I need to get to him before- “

“He’s already left the headquarters,” You informed him.

“Wait, you saw him?”

“About a minute ago. He was on his way to the North exit.”

“(Y/N), are you sure you should be a part of this chase right now?”

“Why not? Jessica is there, isn’t she?” You replied, smiling to yourself. Good old Peter B., looking out for you like some sort of self-appointed brother figure.

“Well yeah, but she’s not running, kid. Although I don’t think she should be on one of those death machines either, I don’t what she’s…”

While he kept on rambling for a bit, you looked around and wondered if you’d ever seen the building this empty.

Empty.

Your eyes slowly ran along the pearly white walls until they landed on the hallway that led to the room where the Go Home Machine was kept. Practically unchecked, if Spider-Byte had joined the pursuit.

“P.B., I’ll talk to you later,” You absent-mindedly replied, hanging up on him without waiting for an answer as you dashed down the hallway.

You kept thinking about that poor kid’s eyes. After having all that information unloaded onto him, instead being given enough time to somewhat process everything he now had to escape from the very people he was supposed to feel safe amongst. When he sat on the floor right in front of you right after the crash, he was sure you would immediately hand him over. Maybe a few months ago you would’ve done it without hesitation but now…things had changed.

There it was. The Go-Home Machine. You thought you saw a purple blast inside that let you know Byte was still there. However, if your theory was correct, Miles would have to go through that hall and therefore, you. A few minutes later, a sudden voice booming from your watch startled you.

“(Y/N)!”

“Miguel? Where are you? I’ve been trying to…”

“(Y/N), listen to me! Miles lured everybody out on purpose, he’s trying to get to the machine. I can see your location back at the headquarters and he should be coming your way in less than a minute!”

“Alright. I’ll handle it.” You replied, ending the call before he could ask you to elaborate on that.

Sure enough, light footsteps came in your direction shortly after. Right as Miles entered your field of view, an alert issued by your watch made your stomach drop and a dreadful feeling fill your chest. However, you’d made up your mind. There was no going back now.

Mile spotted you at the end of the hall and stopped in his tracks. His eyes were determined, not as afraid as a few moments earlier. If he was there that meant he’d somehow gotten past Miguel. You fought back a smile when you wondered how pissed he’d be about it. Having his ass kicked by a teenager was something that, maybe under different circumstances, you could tease him about.

“He’s a delight, isn’t he?” You finally spoke, trying to somewhat lighten the mood while taking a step toward the kid. However, he got in a defensive stance, furrowing his eyebrows in distrust.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk.” You assured, showing him both your hands, “Miles, listen very carefully. This is exactly what Miguel was talking about a while ago. At this very moment. Right now, I’m supposed to stop you from getting to that machine and handing you over,”

Of course, he took another step back.

“Miles I’m not going to do that,” You assured him.

“Why not?” He immediately asked, constantly looking behind him, wondering if this was just you trying to stall him like, unbeknownst to you, he thought Peter had tried to do a while ago.

“Because I’m sure there’s a better way to go about all this. I love him so much, I do, but he’s so afraid that I don’t think he’s willing to see other possibilities and by the time he does, it might be too late for you. Now go before anybody else gets here.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. Miles darted past you as soon as you finished talking, taking a second to look back before reaching the dimly lit room where his ticket home was. His eyes scanned your face and darted down for one second before he looked up at you, a new worry in his eyes that had you wondering whether his spider-sense was strong enough to perceive something you’d just found out yourself.  

“Are you going to be okay?” Miles asked, his eyes looking down for a moment once again. Did he know? Did he mean “you” as in just you or as in…?

“Yes, don’t worry. Now get out of here.” You insisted. With one last hasty “thanks”, he ran into the room as your left in the opposite direction. You weren’t worried about Spider-Byte. She was a good kid, and she’d do the right thing.

The right thing. What did that even mean anymore?

You’d deal with the moral implications later. For now, as you found yourself on the other side of the headquarters, your mind was set on finding Miguel. Maybe you could try and talk some sense into him, make him reconsider whether this was…

“What the hell was that?”

By now you’d gotten used to Miguel’s habit of sneaking up on you. Usually, hearing his voice coming out of nowhere brought a smile to your face. This time, you closed your eyes and winced as you felt his presence behind you.

“Don’t even try lying. I know that voice you used in the call. The one for when you’re about to ignore whatever order I’m about to give you, so I checked the cameras.”

“Miguel, I…” You began to explain yourself just to be harshly cut off.

“(Y/N), what were you thinking? Do you realize what you just did? Do you have the slightest idea of the consequences…?”

“I do realize that you just asked a fifteen-year-old child to stand by and let his father get killed right before calling his existence a mistake, Miguel. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking of our safety, and that includes Miles’. You’re right, he’s a kid and that means he’s selfish and immature enough to endanger everything we’ve all been risking our lives to protect for years.”

“Miguel, listen to me,” You insisted, “You’re scared. I know. I am, too, but have you ever considered that maybe there’s another solution? Do we even know for sure that allowing the kid to go and try to save his father is going to cause any real damage?”

“What if it does? Are you just going to tell me “Sorry, Miguel, you were right” and that’s all? (Y/N), Dios mío, piensa. Gwen said the same thing but we couldn’t trust her with being objective because he’s her friend,”

“Wait, what do you mean couldn’t?” You asked. Miguel clenched his jaw and turned away, unable or unwilling to look at you.

“Miguel, please tell me you didn’t send her back. Not with how she left things back there,”

His absolute silence told you everything. Shaken, you took a step back.

“What is wrong with you?” You hissed the disappointed look in your eyes hurting like a sharp dagger to his chest.

“(Y/N), mi amor, I’m just trying to…”

“You’re such a hypocrite,” You angrily spat out, “You go around preaching about how important sticking to your stupid canon is and the delicate balance of the multiverse when you know damn well that what we’re doing goes against every single one of those things,”

“No, no, that’s very different,” Miguel disputed,

“How is it different?” You argued back, boldly moving closer to him wishing you were taller so you could face him, “I’m from another dimension, there is no way that we were supposed to meet from the beginning. You had your world, this world, and when you tried to live another life in a different one, an entire dimension was destroyed. I had my world, and for all I know maybe there was somebody there that I was supposed to meet but thankfully I ended up here first so I could meet you. But you know what? My universe is fine, yours is too and I swear I had never been happier in my entire life.”

“You’re right.” He muttered in deep thought.

“Yes, I am. And maybe…” You started to say, a relieved smile tugging at the edges of your mouth until he looked up and the expression in his eyes made your throat dry up.

“We’ve been messing with fire all this time. There is probably somebody you can be with without endangering your entire dimension. And this…this is the hand I was dealt and I should just accept it and live with it. You’re right. Maybe this was all a mistake from the beginning.”

“No. No, come on, you don’t mean that.” You shook your head in denial, lifting both your hands to cup his face in your hands, to bring him close like he had done the night you finally could let all the love you felt for him escape its confinement in your chest.

Miguel grabbed your hands before you could touch him and moved away from you before releasing them as he finally built up the courage to look you in the eye.

“Are you serious?” You asked, your voice quivering with anger as you felt tears begin to dwell in your eyes, “So that’s it? You’d rather sacrifice us than find a different way to solve this?”

“Well, what did you think was going to happen, (Y/N)? That this would go on forever and we’d keep pretending everything is fine and that you don’t have to wear a fucking machine on your wrist every time you come to see me because even the cells in your body know you were never supposed to be here?”  

“Oh, right, so you expect me to believe that you always knew this was going to be temporary? Then what was this? Something to take the edge off after a rough day until you decided it was time to stop fooling around and just be done with it?”

Deep inside, you knew what his response was going to be, but every inch of your heart silently pleaded for you to be wrong. To pull you into his arms and apologize for trying to send you away and promise that you’d get through this because you loved each other and that was all that mattered.

“I don’t know why you thought it was anything else,”

For a minute, you wondered if this was all actually happening. Maybe this was all a nightmare fueled by all the training simulations you’d gone over lately, and you’d wake up crying just to find Miguel asleep next to you, his wide back slowly rising and sinking with every calm breath he took. Your crying would wake him up and he’d furrow his eyebrows and ask what had happened.

“I had a nightmare, that’s all,” You’d say, wiping your tears off and trying to downplay it. But he knew better. He always knew better. He would pull you close and bury your head in his chest, placing a kiss on top of your head while warning you that he was the only one allowed to have nightmares because otherwise he’d have to start comforting you too and neither would get a full night of rest. And you would laugh softly as you drifted off, lulled by the warmth of his chest and his smell of sage lotion and cheap fabric softener.

But no. You were very much awake, and instead of comforting you with promises and reassurances, he was walking away from you after delivering the final blow to your heart.

Since he had his back turned to you, you felt free to let the repressed tears freely fall down your face as you helplessly watch him go until he disappeared around a corner. All of a sudden, you felt as if the walls of the headquarters had begun to close around you to asphyxiate you, and the sound of the returning Spider-People made you realize you didn’t want to be there for one more second.

Thanks to your watch, you were back “home” in a few seconds.

“Home”. Your empty apartment where you’d lived alone for years. Where he’d never set foot, and at least in that way it was free of his memory. Or so you thought until you looked over your shoulder at the ajar bathroom door. Inside, atop the porcelain sink, still rested the positive pregnancy test you’d left there before having to rush over to the headquarters to help with the latest anomaly.

That memory felt so distant now. As if it had happened years ago, in a different life. You suppose in a way, it did belong to another life. A life that was over now.

Numbly, you made your way toward the ragged sofa, collapsing on top of it as soon as you were close enough. It was only then that the full weight of the last day and a half sank in and, as you gently wrapped your arms around your stomach, you let the tears fall until your throat burned, the dusty cushions muffling your broken sobs.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard correctly, you did what?”

The seriousness of the situation was enough for Peter to fasten a small strap in Mayday’s baby carrier to make sure she won’t go anywhere for a few minutes as he waited for his friend’s platform to reach ground level. He couldn’t be chasing his toddler around and ripping Miguel a new one at the same time.

“I did what I had to do. It’s for her own good,”

“Right, because you’re such an arrogant…” He paused to carefully place his hands over Mayday’s tiny ears, “…such an arrogant dick that you think you know what’s best for everyone, including a fully grown, intelligent, woman like (Y/N)”

“Shit, Parker, do you think it was easy for me?” Miguel uttered, pinching the bridge of his nose before resting his face against the palm of his hand, “What I said about this being the hand I was dealt…I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with that. Hell, I don’t even know how I’m going to keep myself from showing up at her dimension to try and get her back here the first chance I get.”

“And why would you have to keep yourself from doing that?” Peter asked patiently. It sounded like a better alternative to “Miguel, I love you man but I swear you’ve got the emotional availability of a tree stump. Beats me how (Y/N) was able to get you to admit your feelings without prying your chest open with a jigsaw to see your pounding heart for herself.”

“She was right. We were never supposed to meet in the first place. Not like this. It’s not…”

“Miguel, I swear if I hear the word ‘canon’ even once in this conversation I’m going to drive my head through a wall,”

“Just because you don’t take anything seriously doesn’t mean everybody’s the same,” Miguel hissed back.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Last time I didn’t take something seriously, I ended up just like you will unless you get your priorities sorted out. Alone, and regretting not focusing on what was important,”

“This is important,” Miguel stubbornly argued.

“More important than what you had? Look at yourself. Just forty-eight hours ago you were as happy with (Y/N) as you’d been for the past eight months. And as happy as I’ve been with Mayday and my wife who, by the way, wouldn’t even be with me if it wasn’t for that kid you just called a mistake. And do you see my dimension going up in flames? Or yours? Or hers?”

Unable to find an argument against that, Miguel remained silent, his eyes fixed on an empty spot on the wall in front of him.

“Listen, I know you’re afraid. You don’t want her to get hurt, but if you love her as much as you claim to, then you’re taking the choice of a coward right now. And you can’t afford to be one, especially now.”

“Especially now?” Miguel inquired, turning to look at his friend who, much to his surprise, pressed his lips together as if he’d made a mistake and instead focused on getting Mayday’s hair out of her face.

“My point is; I know you well enough to know you worship that woman. And she thinks you’re pretty decent too. And I can tell you from experience that you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life if you let this come between you.”

Not knowing what else to add, Peter gently patted Miguel’s shoulder before leaving the room, hoping he’d given him enough to think about. Hopefully, enough to make him change his mind.

Meanwhile, Miguel hadn’t moved since Peter left the room, mulling his words over.

Two, particularly, had stuck with him for some reason.

Especially now.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Siriusly Falling For You - Sirius Black X Female Reader

Title: Siriusly Falling For You

Sirius Black X Female Reader

Additional Characters: James, Lily, Remus, Peter, Prof. McGonagall (Mentioned), and Prof. Sprout (Mentioned)

WC: 2,863

Warnings: Friends to lovers, teasing, flirting, banter, nicknames, falling from a tree, no injuries happen but are mentioned briefly, italics, empty threats, pranks mentioned, James is a little goblin, confessions, a pun, mini angst, and fluff

"You want me to do what?" Sirius asked, watching as you bounced slightly in place, rocking on the balls of your feet.

"I want you to climb a tree with me." You said it matter of factly, not fazed at all by your best friend's reaction. "Come on, it'll be fun!" You grabbed his hand and pulled him towards you.

"I don't know..." Sirius muttered, glancing at the tree behind you, near the Black Lake, "I've never climbed a tree before."

With a mischievous glint in your eyes, you leaned in closer, your breath warm against Sirius's skin. "Come on, Sirius, it's easy, I'll help." You murmured, your voice a playful whisper that sent shivers down his spine. "Just one little climb up the tree with me. Who knows what we might discover up there?" Your free hand came up to fiddle with the collar of his gray sweater, a teasing smile tugging at your lips. 

Sirius tried to calm his heart, his pursed lips forming a mimicking smirk, his eyes narrowingly with the same playfulness. "Are you daring me, love?" He asked quietly, though you could hear the amused lilt of his words.

The air around you felt electric, your fingers itching to brush against his arm or caress his cheek. His scent enveloped you, intoxicating, sending goosebumps dancing across your flesh. You were suddenly very aware of your surroundings and how close you were to each other. You swallowed hard, looking up at him. "Maybe I am," You replied in an equally quiet voice before your mischievous expression suddenly changed into a large grin. "Race ya, Padfoot!" And off you went. And Sirius took off after you, the wind whipping through his long, black hair.

Your relationship with Sirius was a little bit complicated. The bond between you and Sirius was a unique blend of friendship and unspoken affection. You were best friends, partners in most shared classes, and always there for each other. The teasing and playful banter were second nature to both of you, a way to mask the deeper feelings that lay beneath the surface. 

Neither of you had dared to voice the truth - though Sirius loved to joke about how hopelessly in love you were with him - that your hearts beat a little faster in each other's presence, and your smiles held a hint of something more than friendship. The two of you had a lot of secrets. Secrets you kept hidden because neither of you wanted to lose what you already had. 

Sirius stopped a foot or so away from the base of the tree, watching as you reached up and grabbed a low-hanging branch of the tree. Pressing your foot against the trunk, you pushed yourself up, using your arms to push yourself further until you were perched securely on a higher, sturdier branch.

With a satisfied smile, you looked down at him. "See? Easy." You spoke, your legs dangling.

"Impressive." He simply stated as you reached your hand out, only for him to wave your hand off in dismissal. "No, no, my love, I can do this myself." You only rolled your eyes as Sirius followed your actions and pulled himself up the tree too. With a few pulls and a small grunt, Sirius then found himself with his chest leaning against the branch you were on; unable to really push himself any further. Looking over at you, you only smiled, hands in your lap, legs dangling; swinging back and forth. "A little help would be nice."

"Oh," You pressed a hand to your chest, blinking owlishly, "I thought you were a big boy and could do it yourself." You teased, giggling slightly. "It seems I must have been mistaken." You gave him your hand.

"Oh, har har." It was Sirius's turn to roll his eyes, taking your hand as you helped him up onto the branch properly. Bracing himself on the thick trunk of the tree, Sirius huffed out a breath, glancing down at the ground below him; he must have been around ten feet in the air. Looking over at you, he took note that you were already looking at him, an eyebrow raised. Clearing his throat, he gave you his usual grin. "But you were mistaken, my dear" He spoke, mimicking you and swinging his legs in the air a bit, "I'm not a big boy, I'm a big man." Sirius emphasized the last part and grinned wider. 

"Right, right," You nodded slowly, a small smile playing on your lips. 

After a quick moment of silence, Sirius spoke, or he tried to speak again, but was interrupted, "So, why did you force me to climb this-"

"Hey! Padfoot! Y/N!" You heard a voice call out to the both of you. Looking behind you slightly, you watched as James, Lily, Remus, and Peter walked from over near the greenhouses. "What are you doing up there, mate?" James asked, walking up to the two of you.

Gently slapping your hands on the thighs of your legs, you leaned forward slightly; freaking Sirius out as he reached out for you as if you were going to fall forward, his hand holding your upper arm. "Great question, James! We were just wondering that ourselves." You answered sarcastically as Lily snickered lightly from beside James.

"Oi!" James exclaimed, pointing a finger at you with a small glare, "Watch that attitude, I know where you sleep. I will dungbomb you."

"Ha! I’d like to see you try!" You scoffed, throwing your head back as you laughed a bit, "And good luck getting up those stairs. You know no boys are allowed or able to get up there." You continued to taunt, your gaze flickering between the three boys standing next to each other before looking over at Lily. "How are you today, Lily, dear?" You asked, your sarcastic tone replaced with genuine curiosity.

"Well, thank you for asking." She responded politely and glanced at James who was now pouting. "And you?"

"What can I say? I'm great." You shrugged and grinned. "What brings you all here?" 

Peter, the usual quietest of the bunch, aside from Remus, then spoke, "We were looking for Padfoot. James had an idea for a prank for McGonagall."

You furrowed your eyebrows, "McGonagall? She'll know you're up to something before you even have a chance to pull it off."

"That's what I said." Remus spoke up from beside Peter.

“Smart boy, as always,” You commented, before looking back down at James, “You should really listen to Remus more often.”

Sirius shuffled slightly in his spot on the branch beside you, thinking. Usually, Sirius would always jump at the chance to prank his professors, but as he turned his gaze towards you, now up in conversation with his friends, he didn't want to leave.

"Sirius!" James called out, snapping him out of it, "Why are you staring at Y/N, mate? She got something on her face or something?"

Sirius quickly turned to look down at James, glaring slightly as you looked at Sirius, rubbing your hand on your cheek. "Do I have something on my face?" You asked, in real concern.

James only smiled knowingly, shaking his head; knowing that he caught Sirius staring at you. Like he usually was in your company, or when you weren't. It was a bit of a problem, especially for Sirius. But, he really couldn't help it. If he was ever in the vicinity of you, Sirius would spend time just watching, admiring how beautiful you looked. How perfect you were. You were just so adorable.

"I swear to Godric, Pads, if you stare at her any longer... I'm going to hex you." James threatened, giving Sirius his famous 'stare down' look. Only then did Sirius realize that he had started staring at you... Again. Sirius cleared his throat, pulling his attention away from you, but you just covered your mouth with a hand, your eyes squinted slightly as you giggled; all muffled. James began to laugh as well before hopping from foot to foot, in a weird little jig, "Sirius and Y/N sitting in a tree,"

"James..." Sirius sighed deeply, feeling a bit embarrassed, but James continued.

You huffed beside him, “You’re acting childish, James, really.”

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Oh, stop teasing him, James!" Lily scolded and shook her head. "Honestly, James, you don't need to make fun of him like that."

"Yeah, James," You called down, swinging your legs, your hands sturdy on the branch, "Don't you have a prank to work on?"

Nodding his head, James spoke, "Yeah, I do. Padfoot." He addressed Sirius, who shook his head.

Though his pride was slightly wounded, Sirius knew James wasn't actually trying to hurt him. James knew of Sirius's affections towards you - everyone in all of Hogwarts basically knew - Sirius knew that James was just wanting to help him a bit; shove him in the right direction. Giving the four his signature grin, he waved them off with a hand, "You go off without me. I'm going to stay here for a bit longer." He spoke, surprising the four, but making James and Lily smile knowingly once more; along with surprising you.

You turned your head, looking at Sirius with a shocked little smile on your face, "You're staying?" You questioned quietly, surprised at how eager you sounded.

"Well, I guess we'll leave you two lovebirds to talk alone then." James winked at you before turning towards his friends, giving you a small wave, "We'll meet you guys later!" With that, they walked away.

“Bye, Y/N, dearest!” Lily waved to you, which you quickly waved back with a smile.

“Bye, Lily, darling! I miss you already!” You sighed, watching them go before looking back over at Sirius with an unsure expression on your face, you asked, "Why aren't you going with them?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, tilting his head slightly as you huffed slightly and shrugged a shoulder, beginning to fidget with a loose strand of your sweater.

"I mean... You could be pranking McGonagall right now. Even though she's the sweetest professor in the world. Aside from Professor Sprout." You answered, glancing up at him.

Sirius scoffed jokingly, "Minerva hates James and I, love."

"Probably because you call her by her first name most of the time." You countered, rolling your eyes playfully. “And you don’t do your homework, or many of the lessons, or pay attention…” You trailed off.

"Maybe." He hummed in agreement. Silence filled the area after that, the only sound being the sounds of soft bird calls.

Biting your lip, you began to play with your hands, picking at the skin around your nails subconsciously, "I mean, even though pulling pranks goes against every fiber of my being, I don't want to be holding you back from having fun with your friends while we're on our free period. I mean, I wouldn’t be mad if you went after them."

"Y/N," Sirius started, confidently, reaching out and taking one of your hands, "I want to stay here. With you. Because I'd rather be here than anywhere else. And, well..." He leaned a bit closer, his eyes flickering over your soft features. Your hair shone slightly in the sunlight which reflected off of it softly. His hand tightened around yours, bringing it to rest on his chest, "I'm usually good at this."

Swallowing thickly, you ran your tongue over your bottom lip, wetting it, "Usually good at what?" You asked, almost breathlessly.

"I'm usually good at talking to girls and charming them, y'know," Sirius tried to grin, "But, I've never been very good at... This..." He gestured towards you and himself with a finger, "I don't want to mess this up. I really like you, Y/N…" He admitted quietly, his cheeks heating up as he realized what he'd said.

A small, light laugh escaped your lips, causing Sirius to worry a bit, "Sirius..."

'Sirius what?' He thought, 'Sirius, I only want to be friends,' or would it be, 'Sirius, I actually like someone else, and it's not you.' There were so many terrible thoughts running through his mind of possible outcomes but at the slight squeeze you gave his hand, Sirius forced himself to ignore those thoughts and look back up at you.

Smiling at him reassuringly, you spoke, "I don't think you could ever mess this up."

"Really, love?" He asked, and you nodded, scooting a bit closer to him on the branch.

"Really, Siri. I really like you too.”

He chuckled softly before nodding his head, smiling back at you. The atmosphere became more comfortable again as silence surrounded the two of you. You stared into Sirius's eyes, your breathing hitching slightly. You were mesmerized by their beauty, and how deep they seemed. And did his hair always look this nice? 'Yes, always.' You thought, 'It looks so soft...'

"What did James sing to us again?" Sirius asked, his smile growing into a small smirk, "You and I... Sitting in a tree..."

"He's a menace." You laughed before shaking your head lightly, unable to stop smiling, "Mm, something about K-I-S-S-I-N-G." You mumbled, a light flush covering your cheeks. 

"Yeah," Sirius muttered, wetting his own bottom lip, his eyes narrowing on your own lips, "That."

"No," You mirrored his smirk, "I don't think I know that song." You answered sarcastically, feeling his warm breath on your face as he leaned forward again. And suddenly you felt his nose touching yours as his other hand came up and cupped your face, stroking your cheek with the pad of his thumb. He was so close, and yet so far. It was almost agonizing, but before he finally closed the distance between the two of you, you suddenly felt him slip away. Fluttering your eyes open, you became confused, only to hear Sirius yell out, followed by a 'thud.' Your eyes widened, looking down at the ground, where Sirius lay, groaning in pain. "Oh goodness! Sirius!" You exclaimed, quickly holding onto the branch, you began to fall backward, flipping yourself around, landing on your feet, "Sirius, are you alright?!"

If Sirius hadn’t been in pain, he would have commented how impressed he was by your little trick but the ache on the back of his head was distracting. "Mmhmm," Sirius groaned out his answer as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head briefly as he watched you hurry over to him; getting onto your knees, sitting on the back of your legs.

Reaching out, you carefully placed your hand where his hand was, feeling a slight bump. "You have a bump. Are you concussed? Is there anything else hurting? Do you need me to take you to the hospital wing?"

"Love, I'm fine, really," Sirius tried to reassure you, giving you a small - slightly pained - smile, "I’ve got my favorite nurse right here.” He joked, making you huff, but he continued, “There is actually something else that hurts actually, now that I think about it." He spoke, but you couldn't hear the growing playfulness in his tone as your worry overtook your senses.

Your eyebrows furrowed together as you frowned, "Where is it? I mean, you fell from what- Ten feet. I hope you didn’t break anything. What hurts?" You asked, almost ranting; frantic, as Sirius felt his chest warm at the sight of you worrying over him.

"Will you kiss it better?" Sirius asked and you vigorously nodded, placing your hand over his that was propping him up on the grassy ground. 

"Yes, of course, just tell me, Sirius Black." You insisted as Sirius gave you a small pout.

"Here..." He breathed, his voice low as he gestured to his lips with his other hand, "My mouth." He added as you tilted your head in confusion.

Pursing your lips, you furrowed your eyebrows, "Seriously?" You deadpanned.

Sirius just continued to grin, "That's my name…” He sighed, his playful gaze softening slightly, “And you could wear it out." He teased and you rolled your eyes, scooting forward so you sat in front of him; his leg instinctively crossed, allowing you to move closer in front of him.

"You’re ridiculous." You murmured with a sigh, a small hint of a smile threatening to appear on your face. You cupped the back of Sirius’s neck with one hand, catching him off guard slightly, your fingers resting delicately at the base of his neck. Brushing his soft hair there, you then gently pulled his lips towards yours. You felt Sirius's arms snake around your waist immediately as he quickly kissed back. It was a quick kiss, quicker than Sirius had wished, but nonetheless perfect. 

"Is that better?" You asked as you pulled away, voice soft as Sirius nodded his head, a dopey grin on his face.

"Much better, darling," Sirius responded with a wide smile before letting out a small slew of chuckles, making your grin widen and eyebrow raise.

“What?” You then asked, curious.

Sirius shook his head quickly, trying to contain his laughter, "I guess you could say that I siriusly fell for you." He joked, grinning as you raised an eyebrow.

You rolled your eyes fondly, "You're ridiculous..."

[imomisoplays]

Long story short

...I survived. Or at least, that's how the lyrics go. Hi again, tombler -- I guess?

Long story:

It's really long, so scroll down for the short version!

Earlier in the month, Tumblr wrongly terminated my previous blog at misoplays. It could come out as a funny accident if only it's (a) the first time this kind of termination happened to misoplays, and (b) Tumblr gracefully reinstate the blog again. I've waited for almost a month and sent two e-mails (they did say spamming e-mail would just push my request back on the queue) while keep trying to refresh the page every day, yet the result is the same "There's nothing here" page. That's that me depresso.

To elaborate further on point (a), the first time I decided to start a sims cooking blog, I created it under my OG e-mail address; the e-mail I used to apply for job etc. which also happened to be linked to my OG tumblr account. It's an old account that now acts like a Wayback Machine of memories for me, but as you know, if a blog is already linked to your e-mail, it will be your main blog, and any additional blog you create under that e-mail would act as side blogs. So, the OG misoplays started as a side blog. However, three posts in, the blog got wrongly terminated. I was sure I didn't break any rules, but maybe Tumblr thought my sudden activity in that ancient account was suspicious, which I could understand. So I sent a request to Tumblr, and the blog was reinstated in under two weeks. The blog first looked like this:

Understandably no one liked or reblogged me, and it was totally okay -- because once again, I just started and posted my first three posts.

When the OG misoplays blog was under, I created a new Tumblr account under my other e-mail address, this time the blog becomes my main blog. The username was misomain, because misoplays was unavailable (apparently, you can't use a username from a suspended/terminated blog) at that time. Misomain was a puny name, because 'main' means "a principal of others in the same kind" in English, but it also translates to "to play" in Indonesian. I quite like misomain, but I went back to misoplays the moment Tumblr reinstated that blog.

The blog you might be familiar with looked more or less like this, of course without the silly Squidward booty profile picture 🤣

Everything went smoothly for a couple of months until early November. To be honest it kinda gets blurry what I was trying to do, I think I was trying to change the password or something. Tumblr sent a verification e-mail, and when I clicked on the link, that fateful "There is nothing here" page appeared. It was at that moment I knew something is wrong. My blog got wrongly terminated for the second time.

I sent a request to get my blog reinstated, and as patient as I can be, I get more anxious as the days went. Another fact is that my blog got yeeted away right when I was about to post my Halloween party posts -- which you'll see later, is quite time-consuming to take pictures of. I stopped playing The Sims 4 because I was sad, mad and somehow bitter at the situation. I mean, tell me why it keeps happening to me, @staff? The only possible explanation (and I don't want to keep making excuses for Tumblr because duh) is because sometimes I use VPN and some other times I turned it off. And if that's so, I already sent e-mails explaining the situation -- so far receiving no reply. None; nada!

I didn't think I would recreate another blog; I was done with it. That's when I absent-mindedly tried to google "misoplays" and the search brought me to this post.

I'm not gonna lie, I choked up and almost shed a tear 🥹

To think that someone out there -- someone who I look up to! -- knows that misoplays is gone and is wondering where it is... Bro, the tears are right there. Thank you, @charlypancakes, your post really bring my spirit up. I decided that I will create another blog, and I will start posting again. From now on I'll diligently back everything up, so if Tumblr yeeted this blog, I'm gonna create another one. I'm gonna live up to that one popular Indonesian proverb: Mati satu tumbuh seribu -- for every thing that was lost, a replacement will appear.

This current blog's name imomisoplays is another play on word: In English, 'emo' would refer to the sad, emotional side of me after experiencing this termination (as I would tell my friends, I'm "currently on my emo phase" once again). But in Korean, the word 이모 (read as ee-mo) means "aunt". I'm an aunt myself, and maybe, with my sims cooking content, I can be that cool auntie on the internet, conquering one recipe at a time 💃

Short story:

Phew, you just saved yourself a whole sob story!

My old blog at misoplays got wrongly terminated earlier this month. Tumblr hasn't returned it yet, and I have long lost hope. I saw a hopeful post and realized that I still got that spirit to keep on posting, so I created this blog. I lost my following, my followers (all 20 of you, please know I appreciate each one of you!), and the drafts to my old posts (only managed to save some), but I would love to continue simblr-ing again as imomisoplays 🙇‍♀️

[poppadom0912]

Together (VIII)

Warnings: Warnings: Mentions of violence, blood, injuries, abuse, kidnappings, shootings, swearing and scary men.

Summary: Getting out only gets harder and Will doesn't know how much longer he can go.

A/N: I initially wrote the beginning of this chapter really graphically with a butt ton of violence but then I was like, maybe I should be nice but then I sat and really thought about it. So, my final decision coincides with a decent amount of violence, but the details will be sparse because I don’t want to scare you lot because that’s what loving writers do, you know. I hope you enjoy and love this chapter just as much as I do because guess what, this series will be done at around chapter ten or so, I haven’t decided yet. 😉

Previous Chapter / Series Masterlist / Next Chapter

So much had happened but what Will took from the experience was either: he majorly hurt two men, or he killed two men, either or. But he wasn’t sticking around to find out.

Will forced you to close your eyes and not look, he didn’t want you to see anything just in case it went wrong, and you ended up witnessing him get hurt which you surprisingly hadn’t so far.

The pocketknife had gone through the first man’s chest, and he currently lay immobile on the floor with blood pouring out his chest like no tomorrow while the second man had two bullet holes in him while he lay besides his accomplice, one near his kidney and the other somewhere around his collarbone. The sight should’ve made Will feel sick, but he didn’t and that’s what made him feel guilty.

“You can open your eyes now.” Will whispered to you, clearing his throat when he heard the coarseness of his voice. “Nearly there I promise.”

Will only heard you hum in reply and just as he was going to assume the worst, you started talking to him.

“Are you okay?”

Will took a second to answer you. He wasn’t the best when it came to violence, he knew just enough for sufficient self-defence and against two men who had most definitely been in crime for a long time, he was bound to come out unsuccessful. 

Blowing out a puff of air, Will gently set you down so your back was leaning against the painted wall. Making sure you were as comfortable as could be in your current form, Will pulled away and fell to his knees ungracefully.

Just as you were going to ask any more questions, Will peeled off his shirt that had already been covered in grime, sweat and blood to reveal not one but two gaping wounds in his torso.

The sight made you sick.

One of them was fresh while the other looked older, the blood not pouring out like the other. The older looking one was more towards his lower torso, you weren’t a professional, but you would say it was around his pelvis/kidney area while the newer addition was making itself comfortable at his ribcage; you didn’t need to be a professional to know that.

Sucking in through his teeth, Will screw his eyes shut as he tore the bottom half of his shirt. Ripping the ruined fabric into two, he tightly wrapped it around his bloody wounds, grinding his teeth as he did so. But just as he was tying it to prevent any more blood loss, the blood started soaking through his blue shirt, the colour changing to a dark purple of sorts.

Your hazy state had been semi-cured seeing Will bleeding. You had a slight suspicion he’d been hurt but not to this degree. You knew none of this was your fault, but you couldn’t help feeling guilty. Will had been selfless and helped you and Jay, leaving nothing for himself in favour for you two.

Gosh, you could already hear Jay’s anguish once he found out what Will did.

“Will! What on earth-“ You started but were interrupted by said man who only tightened the makeshift bandage and shakily stood to his feet. He looked over the dizziness and how he swayed slightly once he got up, along with ignoring the trickles of blood trailing down.

He looked on the verge of passing out which was very likely, but the man was as stubborn as a mule.

“Come on, give me your arms.” Will said, clearing his throat again as he gestured to you. “And don’t tell me you can walk, don’t give me that shit because we both know that you very well can’t.”

You closed your mouth, your words dying as he spoke. Your brothers still read you so easily.

Will winced as he hoisted you onto his back. Even in his weakened state and with you weighing as light as anything, he still struggled.

“Let’s get out of here.”

And Will remained true to his words. Navigating through the halls of the warehouse, you both remained as quite as mice, avoiding any men dressed in black at every turn. It wasn’t easy, at one point you nearly blacked out for a reason you couldn’t explain, and Will’s steps faltered every once in a while.

For the first time since being kidnapped, you let yourself feel hopeful.

Everything had been going smoothly aside from the two men who previously shot Will. But it seems that their unconscious bodies had been found because soon enough Will was cursing under his breath causing you to look ahead at what he saw.

And the rest of it all became just a blur.

*****

Will took the brunt of it all.

It felt like an entire lifetime had passed before it was all over with. Everything merged together. You were aware that they’d gotten to you too and you were aware that Will was still begging for you to be left untouched, and for once they listened.

When the room suddenly became silent, you felt it safe enough to open your eyes. But god, if you would’ve known what you were going to see, you would’ve remained blind for the rest of time.

You wanted the ground to swallow you whole.

Breathing heavily, Will groaned as he shifted himself, trying his best to sit up or at least lean against the wall.

It seemed that time permitted you something because you found some strength in you to crawl towards him, your ears prickling with tears at the gruesome sight of Will's worn and torn body.

Despite you enduring hours upon hours of torture, Will had taken almost the exact same under thirty minutes and eighteen seconds; you counted it yourself, hoping it could get your mind off of the violence happening several feet away from you.

Everything had been taken away from Will during his struggling, making it now impossible to leave. But even if that was a choice, escaping would no longer take priority anymore; survival would.

And survival was all that could be focused on.

Shifting onto your knees, you winced at the pain from all the pressure being put onto your bones. Will was ready to refute, moving his hand to push you away but you pathetically smacked it back, claiming you would rest once you fully looked him over.

And it wasn’t a very happy sight.

Will wasn’t fully able to comprehend the pain his body was going through. It felt like everything was burning and when he saw you, your distraught face only made him feel worse. Everything he did to protect you only brought you more pain and at this point, there wasn’t much he could do anymore to help.

The plan had completely backfired now, even if you wanted to you couldn’t try because the four objects that were meant to be your saving grace only pushed you two closer to your demise. They’d been taken away and now, both of you were stuck in a different room, freezing yourselves into hypothermia and all hope completely lost.

But, with the constant reminder that Jay was on his way, things weren’t looking as dull as they once were.

With that in mind, you let Will guide you through tearing his shirt off and tightly wrapping around his bleeding wounds, trying not to notice how it barely made a difference. Helping him took all the remaining energy out of you, so at Will’s insistence, you sat back besides him, both your body warmth being the only thing keeping you awake.

The rise and fall of Will’s body put you at a little ease along with his soft murmurs that distracted both of you from everything else. It probably wasn’t the right moment, but it felt calming, the familiarity of it all pulled your eyelids shut and before you could notice, you were gone to the world.

*****

Ever since Will called Jay, time was suddenly moving in slow-motion, simply refusing to go any faster for nobodies’ sake.

Jay wasn’t as religious as he used to be, growing up he was, and Will still had some belief in him, but Jay lost it after some time. But if praying and doing a little extra repenting meant having his siblings back with him where they belong, then Jay would do that and more.

Once in the car, Trudy made sure Jay called Voight letting him know what they were doing and where they were going. Voight said not to do anything rash, but Jay couldn’t make any promises.

Trudy drove as Jay called in backup because as Trudy said, ‘I’m going to need help holding you back.’ Jay didn’t say anything, only rolling his eyes as nerves suddenly flooded his system.

Hearing Will’s voice after so long shocked him. He longed to hear it after being separate for so long but over the phone, Will sounded bad. He sounded tired but relieved to be calling him yet underneath all of that, Jay could hear a tinge of pain.

Jay was itching to call him back, the unknown phone number sat on his recent calls, and he was inclined to press it and hear Will’s voice again. The conscious and practical voice in the back of his mind was smacking his upside the head for thinking so irrationally. He was a detective for goodness sake, he knew better.

As the car slowed down, Jay broke out of his reverie and looked out the window, his eyes catching sight of an inhabited warehouse with a company logo and name printed neatly on the front. It easily blended in with the rest of the road, camouflaging into the environment better than some drug fronts.

However, there was one big thing that gave it away and it brought a smirk to Jay’s scabbed lips.

Without having to wait too long, backup soon arrived, an entourage of officers, two swat teams and an ambulance ready on standby. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Sylvie and Violet waiting patiently with tense faces.

Jay called the firehouse too after calling the team. According to the paramedic in charge, the rest of the house were out on a call that was going to last at least another hour and there was no way Kelly was going to get out. So for now, the two paramedics would suffice.

He almost forgot how close everyone at 51 were, practically family the lot of them were and that was their sister trapped inside. This was as personal as things could get.

With an encouraging and affirmative nod from the SWAT team leader, Jay watched as the metal door was pried off by Kevin before wasting no more time and rushed into the building.

On his person he had two guns, one in a holster and the other in hand, identical to the long guns every swat officer held in their arms.

Jay was armed with them, pure determination and drive. He'd be damned if he was leaving this building without you and Will, he refused to leave here without the only people that made the rest of this worth it.

Jay refused to fail, he refused to leave empty handed. If he did so, then did he even deserve to leave here anyways?

Before Jay's thoughts could swindle further, the first of many gunshots went off and soon, the loud pops drowned out his thundering heart.

Series Masterlist:

@mads-weasley @sowrongitslottie @elite4cekalyma @senjoritanana @hufflepuff-blackwidow @mrspeacem1nusone @kmc1989 @goth-cowgirl-03 @daggersquadphantom @photographerkaiya0306 @jamie0515 @samanthavitale @iamasimpingh0e @lanea-1 @swidkid

[jerzwriter]

This is a fictional answer to @tobias-carrick-appreciation-week's What Would Tobias Do? question for day 6: What would Tobias do if he was dating someone he was (surprisingly) really into, then he found out they were a porn actress. This has me changing his dating history, because this is officially part of my HC. lol I hope you enjoy this flashback to The Hopkins Years fic!

Book: Open Heart (Pre-Series / Johns Hopkins Years) Pairing: Tobias Carrick x F!OC Other: Ethan Ramsey Rating: Teen - maybe Mature to be safe. Nothing explicitly. Words: 3,027 (sorry...) Summary: Tobias Carrick wasn't known for taking relationships seriously - at this stage of his life - he was there for a good time, not for a long time. Then he meets Stacy, and things change. He's finally accepted that's OK when a secret from her past threatens to blow it apart. How will Tobias react to the news, and what impact does it have on the couple?

A/N: I have additional A/Ns at the end. But participating in @julychallenge Pink: Romance, Vulnerable Black: Attraction, The Unkonwn

Ethan stood over the stove wearing no more than his old, blue terry bathrobe. His disheveled hair, stubbly beard, and raspy voice all indicators of how raucous last night had been. The fact that he was standing and cooking could be considered a medical miracle in and of itself, or so it seemed, until Tobias emerged from his bedroom.

They had similar nights, but Tobias looked no worse for the wear. Already fully dressed, with a bright smile on his lips,  he waved to his friend and roommate as he continued a conversation on his phone.

“I’m making eggs. Do you want any?” Ethan hollered, but the question went ignored.

“It was great,” Tobias grinned. “I’m so glad you thought so, too.”

Ethan rolled his eyes as he tended to the eggs; this uncharacteristic behavior had become more common in recent weeks.

“Do you have plans today? No? Well, I was thinking of taking a drive to Kent Island. I’d love the company if you’d like to come along? All right... great! I’ll pick you up in an hour?”

Tobias sat at the kitchen counter, where breakfast awaited him. He didn’t say a word until the weight of Ethan’s stare became too much to ignore.  

“What?” he asked, almost annoyed.

“I took the liberty of making eggs for you,” Ethan scowled.

“So I see,” Tobias smiled. “Thank you.”  

“I asked you wanted any... of course, you didn’t answer.”

“You asked?” Tobias asked with confusion.

Normally, Ethan would have been annoyed, launching into a tirade about how Tobias doesn’t appreciate his contributions, but today, all he did was smile. It was a novel treat to see his roommate behaving this way.

“It’s Stacy... isn’t it?”

“What?” Tobias gasped, not willing to confess the obvious. “No! I’m just in a good mood, that’s all.”

“Yeah! Because of Stacy! No need to hide it; I can’t blame you at all. She is stunning.”

Tobias looked as bashful as he was proud; Ethan only wished he could be recording this.

“She is, isn’t she?” He replied with a grin.

“She’s also intelligent, funny, a great conversationalist....”

Tobias leaned back in his chair. His smug persona on full display.

“Most of my women are, Ethan...”

“Please,” Ethan scoffed. “Beautiful? Yes, but the rest... very debatable.”

Tobias chuckeled as he finished his eggs, but he didn’t argue Ethan’s point.

“It’s OK... you know... to like her more than for a night.”

“I know,” his friend replied matter-of-factly. “I’ve been seeing her a while now... and I’m taking her out again today. But thanks for the permission, buddy.”

Ethan shook his head. “What I meant is you can like her seriously. It’s all right to think long-term; it’s OK to consider commitment. You’re not getting any younger, and it’s not every day you find someone as special as Stacy.”

“Yes, Mom.” Tobias dismissed.

Tobias knew his friend was right; in fact, it’s all he had thought about since he met Stacy two months before. It scared the shit out of him, but if he was being honest, the prospect was a little less frightening each day.

“Well, I never said we’re getting serious,” he argued. “I...I’m just... I like her, you know?”

“I know,” Ethan grinned. “And you could do worse. Have fun at the beach,” He said with a smirk. “Should I expect you home late?”

Tobias smiled like the Cheshire cat. “Maybe you shouldn’t expect me home at all.”

~~~~

Stacy heard Tobias’s car from nearly a block away. The beautiful weather meant his car’s roof was down, and Rhianna blaring from the speakers was the only calling card Stacy needed. She was already walking down her steps when he arrived, and God, she was a sight to see.

Tobias did his best to maintain his composure, but that was a tall task as she sauntered his way. Her long auburn hair glistened in the sunlight, and her white sundress hugged every curve. And that smile—innocent as an angel’s yet irresistibly inviting—left him utterly speechless, and Stacy didn’t miss a thing.

She hopped into the passenger seat with a giggle; not wasting a moment, she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss, and her effect on the man was instant.

“Mmmm,” he growled. “You need to stop that, or we’ll never make it to the beach.”

“Oh, we’re going to the beach,” she insisted. “Of course... who knows what we’ll do on the beach.”

Tobias held her hand most of the drive; he was both astonished and ashamed of how he felt. How was he falling so hard that even Ethan saw it? At any other time, he would have cut off all contact at once to stop whatever crazy feeling was happening, but with Stacy, it was impossible.      

It wasn’t just her beauty or the way the sound of her voice drove him insane. It was her quick-witted sense of humor that often left him and everyone else in stitches. It was her tender heart, like the time Tobias had to cancel a reservation he called in a favor to make just so they could tend to a wounded bird she spotted on their way. It was her brilliant mind, the head of her class in biotechnology; she could talk him under the table. He encouraged her to go to medical school, but she had already planned another path in painstaking detail. He didn’t want to admit it, but she could well be the whole package... and he was nowhere near ready for that... but he was already enchanted, and there seemed to be no way to break free of Stacy’s spell.

“Have you ever been to Kent Island?”  he asked.

“No. But then, I’ve only been to the beach once since moving to Baltimore.”

“What?” Tobias was stunned. “You’ve been here two years and been to the beach once?”

Stacy shrugged. “We can’t all be you, dear!” she teased. “Some of us have to put in a lot of effort to stay at the top of our class... not to mention some of us have to work to pay for Hopkins.” 

“Hey, I didn’t mean any offense,” he said with a kiss on her hand. “But I’m hoping you’ll let me spoil you a little.”

“Oh, what do you have in mind?” she cooed.

“Do you mean today or more long-term,” he smiled.

With his eyes on the road, he hadn’t seen Stacy’s face. If the words surprised him, they surprised her even more.

“Uh, let’s stick to today... for now...”

“All right, how does a walk on the beach and dinner at a great little seafood place, I know of, sound? We could spend some time on the boardwalk and maybe give me a chance to win you a prize.”

Reaching over the console, she placed a kiss on his cheek. “And here I thought you were my prize.”

“You’re good for a man’s ego,” he beamed as she placed her head on his shoulder for the remainder of the ride.

The day went as planned... better than planned... neither could remember the last time they had such fun so effortlessly, and they didn’t want it to end. Tobias rented a room at a local bed and breakfast where little sleep was to be had. After making love the night through, they woke up and showered together, only to decide to use that comfortable be once more before getting in the car to return to Baltimore.

Tobias was beginning to push his fear aside, and the stupid grin on his face made that perfectly clear. He was so wrapped up in the pastel summer haze he found himself buried in that he didn’t notice how quiet Stacy had become. She left his car rather quickly when he dropped her off, but he chalked it up to being exhausted... after all, they hadn’t had much sleep.

When he walked into the apartment, Ethan looked up from his studies and smirked at his roommate.

“So, your day at the beach turned into a weekend at the beach, I see.”

“Did you miss me, boo?” Tobias teased.

“Hell no! I loved having the place to myself. It’s so much more spacious when your big head isn’t here.”

“Hahaha,” Tobias ?. “Like your head doesn’t take up a ton of space.”

“Oh, it does!” Ethan concurred. “That’s why it’s more comfortable when only one of us is home. So... are you ready to admit that you really like this one?”

“I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me, bro... but I do... I haven't told anyone this, but Mandy called to hang out the other night, and you know what hang out with Mandy's mean... and I passed. I could have gone, but I passed. Who the hell am I?”

“It’s not the worst thing in the world,” Ethan chuckled.

“That’s the scary thing,” Tobias said with a yawn. “I’m starting to see that. I even mentioned it to Stacy this morning.”

“You what?”

“I told her I was falling for her and asked if she felt the same... I can actually see myself wanting... more with her.”

“Wow,” Ethan grinned. “If I knew this was going to happen, I would have added the earthquake rider to our rental insurance policy. Sure, the idea of an earthquake in Baltimore is far-fetched, but right now, not so much.”  

“Shut up,”  Tobias chuckled, heading toward his room. As enlightening as the conversation was, he was desperate for some shut-eye. And luckily, he got a little in before his doorbell rang several hours later.

Ethan had headed out to work, so Tobias wiped the sleep from his eyes as he groggily answered the door. Though he was delighted to see he was disturbing his sleep.

“Stacy,” he beamed. “I didn’t expect to see you again today?”

She bit on her lip, then a hesitant smile formed on her lips. “I hope it’s OK that I dropped by unannounced. I tried calling you, but....”

Tobias took the phone out of his pocket. “Sorry, I turned the ringer off so I could take a nap. But you’re always welcome, come,” he said, opening the door. “Come on in. What brings you by?”

After assuring they were alone, Stacy took a seat on the couch, holding Tobias’s hands in hers. “I came by to talk about... what you said this morning... about wanting more... with me.”

“Oh,” he replied, noticing her apprehension. “Well, if that’s not what you want, it’s OK, I didn’t mean to frighten....”

“Tobias,” she smiled, holding a finger to his lips. “Let me finish. The thing is... I do... want more with you, too... but I’m not so sure you’ll want more with me.”

“But I’m the one who...”

She shot a look in his direction, and he was silent again. “There’s something you should know first.”

Retrieving her phone from her purse, she pulled up a video, then closed her eyes -  pressing pause – both on the video and her conversation.

“Hey... are you all right?” Tobias asked, placing an arm around her shoulders. “If you don’t want to....”

“No,” she sighed, it’s important. “I hope... I hope you don’t hate me.”

She handed him the phone and watched as his eyes grew three sizes. There on that little screen was Stacy – his Stacy – naked and having a great time – with someone that definitely wasn’t him. Peeling his eyes away, he pressed stop and turned to her.

“All right, hon, I’m not going to be mad at you and an ex having a sex video... that’s nothing I’ll judge... but why the need to show it to me.”

“He’s not an ex,” she said with a deep sigh. “He’s an actor... just like me.”

A wrinkle appeared on Tobias’s brow, showing his utter confusion, and Stacy swallowed hard before she continued.

“See, if I tell you my screen name, you can Google me... and you’ll find a whole lot more where that came from... I... I’m a porn actress.”

His eyes grew again, and his face was ashen. “You’re an... oh,” he fumbled for words.

“Look, it’s not that I’m ashamed,” she continued. “It was a choice I made... a choice that allowed me to attend college, a choice that made going to Hopkins for my masters a reality. A choice that helped get my family out of poverty...though I never really told them why. I told them I won the lottery and, well... I didn’t.”

“Stace,” Tobias started, “You really don’t owe me any explanation, I....”

“You’re right,” she interrupted. “I didn’t... until this morning. If you want us to be serious – you have a right to know. You don’t deserve to learn by some jackass telling you he saw me in Throbbin’ Hood.”

Tobias lowered his eyes with a little chuckle. “Now I saw Throbbin’ Hood, and you were not in that,” he joked, not sure what to say.

“So you’re a connoisseur, and you’ve never seen my work,” she half smiled. “I don’t know if I’m relieved or insulted.”

“I... I’m not sure what to say,” Tobias faltered. “I mean, I don’t judge you; as a connoisseur, I’d have to be a pretty big asshole to judge you...”

“Well,” she chuckled sadly. “You’d be surprised... most connoisseurs are quite judgemental.”

“Well, I’m not,” he said, taking her hand. “It’s just....”

“It’s just I’m not exactly what you had in mind when thinking about something serious.”

“No! I didn’t say that!” He insisted. “It’s just... this is a bit of a surprise, and I, can I have some time to process it?”

“Sure,” Stacy grinned, leaning over and placing a peck on his cheek. “Take some time and let me know what you decide, but Tobias?”

“Yes?”

“If you decide you don’t want to go further because of this part of my past, I’ll be sad, of course, but I’ll be OK. The person I’m meant to be with... they won’t hold it against me, and if you do... then you’re not my person. I just thought it was only fair to let you know before things go any further between us.”

After a hug, Stacy headed home, leaving Tobias in a daze on the couch. She had told him her porn name, and he was caught between temptation and horror at the thought of searching for it. In the end, horror prevailed, and he put his phone away. He was still in a state of astonishment when Ethan arrived home, immediately noticing the change in his friend’s demeanor.

Tobias wasn’t about to break Stacy’s trust, but if there was anyone he could trust to keep this between them, it was Ethan, and he needed a trusted friend’s opinion. Ethan did his best to conceal his own shock at the news.

“It’s OK, buddy,” he half-smiled. “I think my jaw was on the floor when she told me, too.”

“It’s just that I... I didn’t see that coming,” Ethan sighed. “Wow... of all things. So, does it change how you feel?”

Tobias sat back thoughtfully, then shook his head. “I meant what I said; I’d have to be a total dick if I watch porn, but judge someone for making it.”

“Agreed,” Ethan nodded. “And while I’ve never been in porn....”

“Of course you haven’t,” Tobias teased, attempting to add levity to the conversation. “Who the hell would want to see you?”

“And while I’ve never been in porn,” Ethan repeated loudly, ignoring his friend’s interruption. “I understand what it’s like to be poor and not sure if you’ll be able to live your dreams. I’m not advocating nor judging the choices she made... but my advice to you is not to pursue things further unless you can really say you don’t care. She doesn’t deserve to be with someone who will hold it against her, even if it’s subconsciously.”

“I agree,” Tobias replied. “And the truth is, I don’t think I would.”

“There is one other thing to consider,” Ethan injected. “Your family. I don’t know how the Carricks would take to their heir dating a former porn star. Ultimately, it’s not their choice, but...”

“Oh, I’ve given that thought,” Tobias interrupted. “But I’m not exactly proposing; we haven’t gotten nearly to that point. In a way, the idea of pissing them off is rather enticing, but I don’t think that would be fair to her.”

“No, it wouldn’t be. At the end of the day, it’s your choice, but for what it’s worth, this conversation stays between us, and I, for one, won’t think of her any differently than I did this morning, and I certainly wouldn’t judge you.”

Tobias smiled the first genuine smile he had since Stacy had left earlier in the day. “Thanks, buddy. I appreciate you listening.”

The following day, it was Stacy’s turn to open the door to an unexpected visitor. She wasn’t sure if her heart was about to be filled with joy or break when she saw Tobias at the door. Which might be why she couldn’t utter a word.

“May I come in?” he finally asked.

“Yes, of course!” She muttered as he stepped into her front hall.

Noting her puffy eyes, Tobias wanted to put an end to her worrying as quickly as possible; that’s when he pulled the small bunch of flowers he had picked up on his way over from behind his back, and Stacy broke into tears.

“Hey, hey!” He said, pulling her close. “Yeah, they’re supermarket flowers, I could do better next time, but it was kind of an impulse decision.”

“Next time?” she asked with a cracked voice. “So these aren’t a consolation gift when you tell me you never want to see me again.”

“No,” he replied with a kiss to her forehead. “They’re an apology for causing you what I’m sure was a very stressful night. And they come with an invitation – could I take you to dinner  tonight?”

“So, you still want to see where this goes?” she smiled.

“I’m willing if you are,” he grinned, and she replied by running into his arms and sealing the deal with a kiss.

“So, where are we going to eat?” he smiled. “Your pick!”

“In that case, order in a pizza and a six-pack,” she beamed. “Because tonight, I want you all to myself.”

A/N 2: OK I feel like some of my Tobias readers will be disappointed because this isn't humorous. But even back in Hopkins, I think he was having a good time, but I don't think he was a total asshole. He wouldn't have judged her, and he would be a hypocrite knowing his body count was definitely much higher than hers. College Tobias? Maybe he would have been a bit more of an ass, but he was mature enough by this point to handle it better.

While I won't write more for the pairing, my HC is that they dated exclusively for a little while, and they were happy during that time. But eventually, split up. Toward the end of med school the competition between Tobias & Ethan was turning toxic, and that colored his world and impacted his decisions (usually, poorly). Further, Ethan and Vincenza had broken up, and Tobias was being her shoulder to lean on. He realized how strong his feelings for Vincenza were, and didn't feel it would be right to string Stacy along. Basically, he wasn't remotely ready for anything like this. Stacy was disappointed, but it was an amicable parting.

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[amoransia]

Really late, but here's my ekuoto chapter 70 commentary. Nothing special, just me freaking out. You know. The usual.

Watch out for spoilers!

Dante got a very special dialogue balloon with "..." in it. Which is curious to me. I'm sure it means some sort of reflection or surprise happening within him; I really want to what he's thinking. How do you feel? Knowing that the that child you were entrusted can't even bear to be awake anymore? That he runs to escapism? Must suck. Anyway.

On the other hand, dearest Daniel is real composed. Good job on getting info out of Belphegor. That's not really a high bar, though lmao... I mean, how are you a demon and can't LIE? Embarrassing... Go back to demon high school or something. Fall from grace again! The whole premise of your existence is being a lying thing that leads people to sin, and you're here having communication issues??? Dude. That's so moe.

Everyone thinking Belph's got something up his sleeve is fucking hilarious. No. Sorry. He's not Kira or anything like that. It's not all according to his "keikaku". He's just kinda dumb and suffers from Villain Monologue Syndrome...

Him saying "my witch", though... ough! (takes critical hit)

Really funny how he showed him off sleeping and everything. Why are you bragging? Is this something to show off? I guess it is for you... I'd be embarrassed if all my coworkers suddenly saw me sleeping on a plasma 100" inch TV, though. Maybe have a little consideration! Also, I don't think anyone's mentioned this before, but I think it's a cool detail that Priest's in a fetal position. Not only does this position bring one comfort, but it can also represent how he's about to be "reborn" as a witch of Sloth. The sphere he's sleeping in can kinda be a uterus, right?

Belphegor and Mikhail replying to each other while Leah was suffering out of confusion was funny. She got the straight man role forced onto her. Miha's "I see!" was cute. Very casual, as if he wasn't talking to a Demon Lord lol. To be fair, Bel is not really intimidating.

Meanwhile, Vir is busy trying to lead his shounen manga team to victory... (or not really.) They'll definitely get some piece of Belphegor though. I wonder what it'll be... he doesn't have anything like Asmodeus' eyes sticking out, so this is a mystery to me.

Me when I get excited about an interest of mine and end up yapping too much

Dante and Vergilius are heading to the same place, so they'll meet up again... I'm looking forward to the mess that comes out of that 👀.

Imuri needs to step up her game, or I'll be taking matters into my own hands because this is ridiculous. Femme Fatale? Wtf are you talking about. Fraudmuri. The Demon Lord of Fraud. Her true title.

Her biggest crime so far is being more in love with the idea of being in love with Priest than actually caring for him. Does that make sense? So far, she hasn't done any effort in actually coming to know him. She needs to KNOW!!!! At least I can respect that she also takes male rivals seriously... and her aggressiveness towards them. Lole.

She doesn't call Priest "sleepyhead" in the JP raws. I don't really mind the addition, but I thought it was worth noting here anyway. Makes it cute.

"It'll be over soon" Naw bro Imuri is coming at you with a fucking sledgehammer. Watch out.

Tiny Imuri is so fawking cute. I've been craving these Imuri flashbacks for forever because we know virtually nothing about her. What moves her. Why does she long to love!! We'll know in due time, I guess. But please show me a bit of it, Aruma-sensei...

Asmodeus being considerate enough to make sexual things vague to Imuri is nice, but it confuses me a bit. Well. I shan't dwell on it, lest my head blows up.

Imuri seems to have some complex about being a demon with no demon power, because she keeps asserting that she is a demon? Am I explaining this properly? Like in this chapter (ch.70) and chapter 3.

Anywho.

Imuri imagining the BL route... save me... my fucking sides... I burst out laughing the first time my eyes laid on that panel. True to her succubus nature, she didn't even consider the possibility of them using blood or whatever else instead of straight-up KISSING. Those are still bodily fluids, right?? Calm down, girl! Stay put!!!

"I'm not letting his first kiss go to some guy that just appeared!!" HE'S BEEN THERE FOR A DECADE! YOU ARE THE NEWCOMER!!! IMURI, GIRL!! You absolute buffoon! Clown, even!

Whew. Lmao.

This arc also feels like a callback to that one "sleeping beauty" comment from chapter 3.

...except their roles have switched.

This time, Imuri will be the one kissing Father on the cheek to wake him up, and it'll be so, so cute. Trust. Trust me. This will happen. (Going insane).

Go and make him your witch, Imuri... Dew it... Make a move... (screaming and crying)

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Distraction: Why I believe Spare Me Your Mercy muddled its own messaging

As I prepare to watch Ossan's Love Thailand and write a little something about Our Youth you can say I have adaptations on the brain. As such I have not been able to shake some additional thoughts in response to @lurkingshan's post about Spare Me Your Mercy and @waitmyturtles reply about what the show runners said about NC scenes being distracting to the story they were trying to tell.

Now listen, I am not saying that NC scenes or even physical intimacy needs to exist in every single queer story in order for it to be good. But I also do not believe that NC scenes will distract from the overarching theme/message of the show. In either case it comes down to the success of the writing team to tell a compelling story and to present a compelling message.

Assisted suicide has been a subject of discussion in films for years, Spare Me Your Mercy is not the first, nor will it be the last to broach that subject. I think there is a lot that is really compelling in the theme of Spare Me Your Mercy in regards to euthanasia, but I honestly have not seen a lot of conversation around that theme itself. Now, I know I didn't finish the show so maybe people were talking about it more in the tags but on my dash it was occasional posts mentioning the intrigue around the euthanasia from people like Shan, and beautifully crafted gifs of moments between Kan and Tew.

Why am I mentioning this? Because in removing NC scenes from the story out of fear for distraction they have removed a lot of what would convince us that these two characters actually care for each other. And in removing a lot of what would make us believe these characters actually care for each other, conversation turns away from nuanced dialogue/discourse around the ethics of euthanasia and towards the failure to convince at least part of the audience that Tew had a reason not to turn Kan in the second he found those empty vials in his apartment.

I dropped this show after episode like 3 or 4, whenever the camping scene was, because Kan's confession about liking/being interested in Tew came out of nowhere and I genuinely believed that Kan was manipulating Tew in order to throw him off the "I mercy kill patients" trail.

I am very strongly of the opinion that regardless of whether or not this show contained NC scenes, that it would have stood a lot firmer in its messaging if Kan and Tew were already in an established relationship when the show started. And that if it hadn't had Kan straight up actually murder someone in order to keep the secret about mercy killing people (I mean unless their message was euthanasia is the same as murder which...is not a nuanced take and does not really highlight what I think Lux was trying to accomplish- at least from my impression of what @clairedaring wrote in this post).

Long story short, I think this show failed to create a strong enough romance between Kan and Tew to easily suspend disbelief at Kan getting away with the euthanasia for so long and undermined their own messaging around euthanasia thereby distracting from their core themes all on their own.

Like even now I'm talking about Kan and Tew's relationship instead of discussing the nuances of euthanasia.

I dropped this show because ultimately, I found it incredibly boring and not worth my time, and that sucks because I do think that conversations around euthanasia are incredibly important, especially with recent developments in the legalization of euthanasia in countries like Canada (I know this is Thailand and that it is not legal there, do not come for me). Spare Me Your Mercy came at a great time to enter the euthanasia discussion but unfortunately for me, failed to deliver.

If people are interested in exploring that subject more here is a link to a list of films about euthanasia and another list here. I have watched none of these and therefore cannot vouch for their quality either as films in general or in the nuance of their conversations around euthanasia.